The T. S. Eliot Prize and The Poetry Society are delighted to open applications for a fourth year of the highly praised Young Critics Scheme.
This prestigious partnership programme offers ten emerging poetry reviewers aged 18–25 in the UK and Ireland the opportunity to develop their practice. The successful applicants will attend workshops on poetry reviewing, video-making and editing before creating their own video reviews of the T. S. Eliot Prize 2025 Shortlist.
The video reviews will appear on the T. S. Eliot Prize and The Poetry Society’s websites, social media and YouTube channels in the run-up to the announcement of the winner of the T. S. Eliot Prize in January 2026. In previous years, Young Critics’ video reviews have been widely shared online by readers, publishers, poets and critics. Several Young Critics alumni have since been invited to review for leading magazines including The Poetry Review, Poetry London and Magma.
Applications are open now and close on 18 August 2025. Find out more and submit your application here.
Applications from writers underrepresented in poetry reviewing are encouraged, including those from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority backgrounds; d/Deaf and disabled writers; working class writers; and LGBTQ+ writers. No previous reviewing or poetry writing experience is required.
Look out for Tusshara Nalakumar Srilatha’s video, one of last year’s Young Critics, in which she shares her experience of the Scheme, with top tips for anyone thinking of applying. Videos by two other 2024 participants, Orla Davey and Joe Wright, will be published shortly.
You can view all of the inspiring and insightful Young Critics’ videos to date on the T. S. Eliot Prize YouTube channel. Budding reviewers may also benefit from the two features published on Young Poets Network as part of the first Scheme: How To Write A Poetry Review and 15 Top Tips From Leading Critics.
