T. S. Eliot Prize


The T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry is a prize for poetry awarded by the T. S. Eliot Foundation. For many years it was awarded by the Eliots' Poetry Book Society for "the best collection of new verse in English first published in the UK or the Republic of Ireland" in any particular year. The Prize was inaugurated in 1993 in celebration of the Poetry Book Society's 40th birthday and in honour of its founding poet, T. S. Eliot. Since its inception, the prize money was donated by Eliot's widow, Valerie Eliot and more recently it has been given by the T. S. Eliot Estate.
The T. S. Eliot Foundation took over the administration of the T. S. Eliot Prize in 2016, appointing as its new director Chris Holifield, when the former Poetry Book Society charity had to be wound up, with its book club and company name taken over by book sales agency Inpress Ltd in Newcastle. Holifield retired at the end of June 2022 after 20 years in the post, and was replaced by Mike Sims. The winner now receives £25,000 and the ten shortlisted poets each receive £1,500, making it the United Kingdom's most valuable annual poetry competition. The Prize has been called "the most coveted award in poetry".
The shortlist for the Prize is announced in October of each year, and the 10 shortlisted poets take part in the Readings at the Royal Festival Hall in London's Southbank Centre on the evening before the announcement of the Prize. Two thousand people attended the 2011 reading.

Winners and Shortlists

1990s

YearAuthorTitlePublisherResultRef
1993Ciaran CarsonFirst Language: PoemsGallery PressWon
1993Moniza AlviThe Country at My ShoulderOUP / Oxford PoetryShortlisted
1993Patricia BeerFriend of HeraclitusCarcanet PressShortlisted
1993Carol Ann DuffyMean TimeAnvil PressShortlisted
1993Douglas DunnDante's Drum KitFaber & FaberShortlisted
1993James FentonOut of DangerPenguin PoetryShortlisted
1993Stephen KnightFlowering LimbsBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
1993Les MurrayTranslations from the Natural WorldCarcanet PressShortlisted
1993Sharon OldsThe FatherSecker & WarburgShortlisted
1993Don PatersonNil NilFaber & FaberShortlisted
1994Paul MuldoonThe Annals of ChileFaber & FaberWon
1994John BurnsideThe Myth of the TwinCape PoetryShortlisted
1994Eavan BolandIn a Time of ViolenceCarcanet PressShortlisted
1994W. N. HerbertForked TongueBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
1994Kathleen JamieThe Queen of ShebaBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
1994Geoffrey LehmannSpring ForestAngus & RobertsonShortlisted
1994Tom PaulinWalking a LineFaber & FaberShortlisted
1994Peter PorterMillenial FablesOUP / Oxford PoetryShortlisted
1994Hugo WilliamsDock LeavesOUP / Oxford PoetryShortlisted
1994Gerard WoodwardAfter the DeafeningChatto & WindusShortlisted
1995Mark DotyMy AlexandriaCape PoetryWon
1995Simon ArmitageThe Dead Sea PoemsFaber & FaberShortlisted
1995Ian DuhigThe Mersey GoldfishBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
1995Michael LongleyThe Ghost OrchidCape PoetryShortlisted
1995Glyn MaxwellRest for the WickedBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
1995Bernard O'DonoghueGunpowderChatto & WindusShortlisted
1995Katherine PierpointTruffle BedsFaber & FaberShortlisted
1995Maurice RiordanA Word from the LokiFaber & FaberShortlisted
1995Jackie WillsPowder TowerArc PoetryShortlisted
1995Glyn WrightCould Have Been FunnySpikeShortlisted
1996Les MurraySubhuman Redneck PoemsCarcanet PressWon
1996Ciaran CarsonOpera Et CeteraBloodaxe Books / Gallery PressShortlisted
1996Maura DooleyKissing A BoneBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
1996John FullerStones and FiresChatto & WindusShortlisted
1996Seamus HeaneyThe Spirit LevelFaber & FaberShortlisted
1996Stephen KnightDream City CinemaBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
1996Adrian MitchellBlue CoffeeBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
1996Alice OswaldThe Thing in the Gap Stone StileOUP / Oxford PoetryShortlisted
1996Christopher ReidExpanded UniversesFaber & FaberShortlisted
1996Susan WicksThe Clever DaughterFaber & FaberShortlisted
1997Don PatersonGod's Gift to WomenFaber & FaberWon
1997Fleur AdcockLooking BackOUP / Oxford PoetryShortlisted
1997Gillian AllnuttNantucket and the AngelBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
1997Helen DunmoreBestiaryBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
1997Selima HillVioletBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
1997Jamie McKendrickThe Marble FlyOUP / Oxford PoetryShortlisted
1997Peter ReadingWork in RegressBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
1997Matthew SweeneyThe Bridal SuiteCape PoetryShortlisted
1997Derek WalcottThe BountyFaber & FaberShortlisted
1997John Hartley WilliamsCanadaBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
1998Ted HughesBirthday LettersFaber & FaberWon
1998Sarah CorbettThe Red WardrobeSeren BooksShortlisted
1998Fred D'AguiarBill of RightsChatto & WindusShortlisted
1998David HarsentA Bird's Idea of FlightFaber & FaberShortlisted
1998Jackie KayOff ColourBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
1998Glyn MaxwellThe BreakageFaber & FaberShortlisted
1998Paul MuldoonHayFaber & FaberShortlisted
1998Ruth PadelRembrandt Would Have Loved YouChatto & WindusShortlisted
1998Jo ShapcottMy Life AsleepOUP / Oxford PoetryShortlisted
1998Ken SmithWild RootBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
1999Hugo WilliamsBilly's RainFaber & FaberWon
1999Anne CarsonAutobiography of RedCape PoetryShortlisted
1999Carol Ann DuffyThe World's WifePicador PoetryShortlisted
1999Paul DurcanGreetings to our Friends in BrazilHarvill PressShortlisted
1999Michael HofmannApproximately NowhereFaber & FaberShortlisted
1999Kathleen JamieJizzenPicador PoetryShortlisted
1999Michael LaskeyThe Tightrope WeddingSmith/DoorstopShortlisted
1999Bernard O'DonoghueHere Nor ThereChatto & WindusShortlisted
1999Tom PaulinThe Wind DogFaber & FaberShortlisted
1999C. K. WilliamsRepairBloodaxe BooksShortlisted

2000s

2001 saw Canadian poet Anne Carson become the first woman to win the TS Eliot Prize.
YearAuthorTitlePublisherResultRef
2000Michael LongleyThe Weather in JapanCape PoetryWon
2000John BurnsideThe Asylum DanceCape PoetryShortlisted
2000Anne CarsonMen in the Off HoursCape PoetryShortlisted
2000Michael DonaghyConjurePicador PoetryShortlisted
2000Douglas DunnThe Year's AfternoonFaber & FaberShortlisted
2000Thom GunnBoss CupidFaber & FaberShortlisted
2000Alan JenkinsThe DriftChatto & WindusShortlisted
2000Roddy LumsdenThe Book of LoveBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
2000Anne StevensonGranny ScarecrowBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
2000Derek WalcottTiepolo's HoundFaber & FaberShortlisted
2001Anne CarsonThe Beauty of the HusbandCape PoetryWon
2001Gillian AllnuttLintelBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
2001Charles BoyleThe Age of Cardboard and StringFaber & FaberShortlisted
2001Seamus HeaneyElectric LightFaber & FaberShortlisted
2001Geoffrey HillSpeech! Speech!Penguin PoetryShortlisted
2001Selima HillBunnyBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
2001James LasdunLandscape with ChainsawCape PoetryShortlisted
2001Sean O'BrienDownriverPicador PoetryShortlisted
2001Pascale PetitThe Zoo FatherSeren BooksShortlisted
2001Michael Symmons RobertsBurning BabylonCape PoetryShortlisted
2002Alice OswaldDartFaber & FaberWon
2002Simon ArmitageThe Universal Home DoctorFaber & FaberShortlisted
2002John BurnsideThe Light TrapCape PoetryShortlisted
2002Paul FarleyThe Ice AgePicador PoetryShortlisted
2002David HarsentMarriageFaber & FaberShortlisted
2002Geoffrey HillThe Orchards of SyonPenguin PoetryShortlisted
2002E. A. MarkhamA Rough ClimateAnvil PressShortlisted
2002Sinéad MorrisseyBetween Here and ThereCarcanet PressShortlisted
2002Paul MuldoonMoy Sand and GravelFaber & FaberShortlisted
2002Ruth PadelVoodoo ShopChatto & WindusShortlisted
2003Don PatersonLanding LightFaber & FaberWon
2003Billy CollinsNine HorsesPicador PoetryShortlisted
2003John F. DeaneManhandling the DeityCarcanet PressShortlisted
2003Ian DuhigThe Lammas HirelingPicador PoetryShortlisted
2003Lavinia GreenlawMinskFaber & FaberShortlisted
2003Jamie McKendrickInk StoneFaber & FaberShortlisted
2003Bernard O'DonoghueOutivingChatto & WindusShortlisted
2003Jacob PolleyThe BrinkPicador PoetryShortlisted
2003Christopher ReidFor and AfterFaber & FaberShortlisted
2003Jean SpracklandHard WaterCape PoetryShortlisted
2004George SzirtesReelBloodaxe BooksWon
2004Colette BryceThe Full Indian Rope TrickPicador PoetryShortlisted
2004Kathryn GrayThe Never-NeverSeren BooksShortlisted
2004Kathleen JamieThe Tree HousePicador PoetryShortlisted
2004Michael LongleySnow WaterCape PoetryShortlisted
2004Ruth PadelThe Soho LeopardChatto & WindusShortlisted
2004Tom PaulinThe Road to InverFaber & FaberShortlisted
2004Peter PorterAfterburnerPicador PoetryShortlisted
2004Michael Symmons RobertsCorpusCape PoetryShortlisted
2004John Hartley WilliamsBluesCape PoetryShortlisted
2005Carol Ann DuffyRapturePicador PoetryWon
2005Polly ClarkTake Me with YouBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
2005Helen FarishIntimatesCape PoetryShortlisted
2005David HarsentLegionFaber & FaberShortlisted
2005Sinéad MorrisseyThe State of the PrisonsCarcanet PressShortlisted
2005Alice OswaldWoods etcFaber & FaberShortlisted
2005Pascale PetitThe HuntressSeren BooksShortlisted
2005Sheenagh PughThe Movement of BodiesSeren BooksShortlisted
2005John StammersStolen Love BehaviourPicador PoetryShortlisted
2005Gerard WoodwardWe Were PedestriansChatto & WindusShortlisted
2006Seamus HeaneyDistrict and CircleFaber & FaberWon
2006Simon ArmitageTyrannosaurus Rex versus The Corduroy KidFaber & FaberShortlisted
2006Paul FarleyTramp in FlamesPicador PoetryShortlisted
2006W. N. HerbertBad Shaman BluesBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
2006Jane HirshfieldAfterBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
2006Tim LiardetThe Blood ChoirSeren BooksShortlisted
2006Paul MuldoonHorse LatitudesFaber & FaberShortlisted
2006Robin RobertsonSwitheringPicador PoetryShortlisted
2006Penelope ShuttleRedgrove's WifeBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
2006Hugo WilliamsDear RoomFaber & FaberShortlisted
2007Sean O'BrienThe Drowned BookPicador PoetryWon
2007Ian DuhigThe Speed of DarkPicador PoetryShortlisted
2007Alan GillisHawks and DovesGallery PressShortlisted
2007Sophie HannahPessimism for BeginnersCarcanet PressShortlisted
2007Mimi KhalvatiThe Meanest FlowerCarcanet PressShortlisted
2007Frances LevistonPublic DreamPicador PoetryShortlisted
2007Sarah MaguireThe Pomegranates of KandaharChatto & WindusShortlisted
2007Edwin MorganA Book of LivesCarcanet PressShortlisted
2007Fiona SampsonCommon PrayerCarcanet PressShortlisted
2007Matthew SweeneyBlack MoonCape PoetryShortlisted
2008Jen HadfieldNigh-No-PlaceBloodaxe BooksWon
2008Moniza AlviEuropaBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
2008Peter BennetThe Glass SwarmFlambard PressShortlisted
2008Ciarán CarsonFor All We KnowGallery PressShortlisted
2008Robert CrawfordFull VolumeCape PoetryShortlisted
2008Maura DooleyLife Under WaterBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
2008Mark DotyTheories and ApparitionsCape PoetryShortlisted
2008Mick ImlahThe Lost LeaderFaber & FaberShortlisted
2008Glyn MaxwellHide NowPicador PoetryShortlisted
2008Stephen RomerYellow StudioCarcanet PressShortlisted
2009Philip GrossThe Water TableBloodaxe BooksWon
2009Eiléan Ní ChuilleanáinThe Sun-fishGallery PressShortlisted
2009Fred D'AguiarContinental ShelfCarcanet PressShortlisted
2009Jane DraycottOverCarcanet PressShortlisted
2009Sinéad MorrisseyThrough the Square WindowCarcanet PressShortlisted
2009Sharon OldsOne Secret ThingCape PoetryShortlisted
2009Alice OswaldWeeds & Wild FlowersFaber & FaberShortlisted
2009Christopher ReidA ScatteringAretéShortlisted
2009George SzirtesThe Burning of the Books and Other PoemsBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
2009Hugo WilliamsWest End FinalFaber & FaberShortlisted

2010s

2011 saw two shortlisted nominees, including 2002 winner Alice Oswald, withdraw their works as a protest against the sponsor.
YearAuthorTitlePublisherResultRef
2010Derek WalcottWhite EgretsFaber & FaberWon
2010Simon ArmitageSeeing StarsFaber & FaberShortlisted
2010Annie FreudThe MirabellesPicador PoetryShortlisted
2010John HaynesYouSeren BooksShortlisted
2010Seamus HeaneyHuman ChainFaber & FaberShortlisted
2010Pascale PetitWhat the Water Gave MeSeren BooksShortlisted
2010Robin RobertsonThe Wrecking LightPicador PoetryShortlisted
2010Fiona SampsonRough MusicCarcanet PressShortlisted
2010Brian TurnerPhantom NoiseBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
2010Sam WillettsNew Light for the Old DarkCape PoetryShortlisted
2011John BurnsideBlack Cat BoneCape PoetryWon
2011Carol Ann DuffyThe BeesPicador PoetryShortlisted
2011Leontia FlynnProfit and LossCape PoetryShortlisted
2011David HarsentNightFaber & FaberShortlisted
2011John KinsellaArmour Faber & FaberShortlisted
2011Esther MorganGraceBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
2011Daljit NagraTippoo Sultan's Incredible White-Man-Eating Tiger Toy-Machine!!!Faber & FaberShortlisted
2011Sean O'BrienNovemberPicador PoetryShortlisted
2011Bernard O'DonoghueFarmer's CrossFaber & FaberShortlisted
2011Alice OswaldMemorial Faber & FaberShortlisted
2012Sharon OldsStag's LeapCape PoetryWon
2012Simon ArmitageThe Death of King ArthurFaber & FaberShortlisted
2012Sean BorodaleBee JournalCape PoetryShortlisted
2012Gillian ClarkeIceCarcanet PressShortlisted
2012Julia CopusThe World's Two Smallest HumansFaber & FaberShortlisted
2012Paul FarleyThe Dark FilmPicador PoetryShortlisted
2012Jorie GrahamP L A C ECarcanet PressShortlisted
2012Kathleen JamieThe OverhaulPicador PoetryShortlisted
2012Jacob PolleyThe HavocsPicador PoetryShortlisted
2012Deryn Rees-JonesBurying the WrenSeren BooksShortlisted
2013Sinéad MorrisseyParallaxCarcanet PressWon
2013Dannie AbseSpeak, Old ParrotHutchinsonShortlisted
2013Moniza AlviAt the Time of PartitionBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
2013Anne CarsonRed Doc>Cape PoetryShortlisted
2013Helen MortDivision StreetChatto & WindusShortlisted
2013Daljit NagraRamayana: A RetellingFaber & FaberShortlisted
2013Maurice RiordanThe Water StealerFaber & FaberShortlisted
2013Robin RobertsonHill of DoorsPicador PoetryShortlisted
2013Michael Symmons RobertsDrysalterCape PoetryShortlisted
2013George SzirtesBad MachineBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
2014David HarsentFire SongsFaber & FaberWon
2014Fiona BensonBright TravellersCape PoetryShortlisted
2014John BurnsideAll One BreathCape PoetryShortlisted
2014Louise GlückFaithful and Virtuous NightCarcanet PressShortlisted
2014Michael LongleyThe StairwellCape PoetryShortlisted
2014Ruth PadelLearning to Make an Oud in NazarethChatto & WindusShortlisted
2014Pascale PetitFauveriePoetry Wales PressShortlisted
2014Kevin PowersLetter Composed During a Lull in the FightingLittle, Brown / SceptreShortlisted
2014Arundhathi SubramaniamWhen God is a TravellerBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
2014Hugo WilliamsI Knew the BrideFaber & FaberShortlisted
2015Sarah HoweLoop of JadeChatto & WindusWon
2015Mark DotyDeep LaneCape PoetryShortlisted
2015Tracey HerdNot in This WorldBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
2015Selima HillJutlandBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
2015Tim LiardetThe World Before SnowCarcanet PressShortlisted
2015Les MurrayWaiting for the PastCarcanet PressShortlisted
2015Sean O'BrienThe Beautiful LibrariansPicador PoetryShortlisted
2015Don Paterson40 SonnetsFaber & FaberShortlisted
2015Rebecca PerryBeauty/BeautyBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
2015Claudia RankineCitizen: An American LyricPenguin PoetryShortlisted
2016Jacob PolleyJackselfPicador PoetryWon
2016Rachael BoastVoid StudiesPicador PoetryShortlisted
2016Vahni CapildeoMeasures of ExpatriationCarcanet PressShortlisted
2016Ian DuhigThe Blind Road-MakerPicador PoetryShortlisted
2016J. O. MorganInterference PatternCape PoetryShortlisted
2016Bernard O'DonoghueThe Seasons of Cullen ChurchFaber & FaberShortlisted
2016Alice OswaldFalling AwakeCape PoetryShortlisted
2016Denise RileySay Something BackPicador PoetryShortlisted
2016Ruby RobinsonEvery Little SoundPavilion / Liverpool University PressShortlisted
2016Katharine TowersThe RemediesPicador PoetryShortlisted
2017Ocean VuongNight Sky with Exit WoundsCape PoetryWon
2017Tara BerginThe Tragic Death of Eleanor MarxCarcanet PressShortlisted
2017Caroline BirdIn these Days of ProhibitionCarcanet PressShortlisted
2017Douglas DunnThe Noise of a FlyFaber & FaberShortlisted
2017Leontia FlynnThe RadioCape PoetryShortlisted
2017Roddy LumsdenSo Glad I'm MeBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
2017Michael Symmons RobertsMancuniaCape PoetryShortlisted
2017Robert MinhinnickDiary of the Last ManCarcanet PressShortlisted
2017James SheardThe Abandoned SettlementsCape PoetryShortlisted
2017Jacqueline SaphraAll My Mad MothersNine Arches PressShortlisted
2018Hannah SullivanThree PoemsFaber & FaberWon
2018Ailbhe DarcyInsistenceBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
2018Terrance HayesAmerican Sonnets for My Past and Future AssassinsPenguin PoetryShortlisted
2018Zaffar KunialUsFaber & FaberShortlisted
2018Nick LairdFeel FreeFaber & FaberShortlisted
2018Fiona MooreThe Distal PointHappenStanceShortlisted
2018Sean O'BrienEuropaPicador PoetryShortlisted
2018Phoebe PowerShrines of Upper AustriaCarcanet PressShortlisted
2018Richard ScottSohoFaber & FaberShortlisted
2018Tracy K. SmithWade in the WaterPenguin PoetryShortlisted
2019Roger RobinsonA Portable ParadisePeepal Tree PressWon
2019Anthony AnaxagorouAfter the FormalitiesPenned in the MarginsShortlisted
2019Fiona BensonVertigo and GhostCape PoetryShortlisted
2019Jay BernardSurgeChatto & WindusShortlisted
2019Paul FarleyThe MizzyPicador PoetryShortlisted
2019Ilya KaminskyDeaf RepublicFaber & FaberShortlisted
2019Sharon OldsAriasCape PoetryShortlisted
2019Vidyan RavinthiranThe Million-Petalled Flower of Being HereBloodaxe BooksShortlisted
2019Deryn Rees-JonesEratoSeren BooksShortlisted
2019Karen SolieThe Caiplie CavesPicador PoetryShortlisted

List of judges