The Ginkgo Prize is a major international award for ecopoetry, funded by the Edward Goldsmith Foundation and organised by the Poetry School.

Every year, the competition awards £8,000 in prize money, provides writers’ residencies for the winners, and supports the development of ecopoetry through a programme of free workshops, and a series of incisive essays by leading ecological writers.

The award, initially called the Resurgence Prize, was first presented in 2015. It has been run by the Poetry School since 2017 and was relaunched as the Ginkgo Prize in 2018.

Luisa Igloria won the inaugural competition, judged by Sir Andrew Motion, Alice Oswald and Jo Shapcott. Rob Miles won the 2016 prize, judged by Jo Shapcott and Imtiaz Dharker, and Seán Hewitt took first prize in the 2017 competition, judged by Lavinia Greenlaw and Mina Gorji. In 2018, Jemma Borg won the first Ginkgo Prize with her poem ‘Unripe’, selected by Mimi Khalvati and Alys Fowler. The 2020 judges were UK Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and commissioning editor Jade Cuttle, the winner was Jane Lovell. Last year’s judges were renowned writer and ecopoet Camille T. Dungy, poet Anna Selby and writer and activist Sara Hudston, the winner was Teresa Dzieglewicz. This year’s judges are renowned poet Linda Gregerson, ecopoet and memoirist Seán Hewitt and ecopoet, writer and editor Karen McCarthy Woolf.

The Poetry School is a national arts organisation providing inspiring tuition and opportunities for poets and poetry audiences. It was founded in 1997 by poets Mimi Khalvati, Jane Duran and Pascale Petit. Since its earliest days, its courses and activities have encouraged poets and poetry to flourish.

With established teaching centres throughout England as well as online courses, downloadable activities, and the world’s biggest social network dedicated to poetry – CAMPUS – the Poetry School is unique in its ability to reach and develop aspiring poets wherever they may be, both in the UK and internationally.

The Poetry School is a registered charity (1069314) and proud to be one of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio Organisations 2018-2022.

Telephone: 020 7582 1679

E-mail: administration@poetryschool.com