The Laurel Prize was established by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage in 2019 in association with Poetry School. It is an annual award for the best collection of nature or environmental poetry to highlight the climate crisis and raise awareness of the challenges and potential solutions at this critical point in our planet’s life.  

This year, the Laurel Prize Weekend is held in Bradford, the UK City of Culture 2025, in partnership with BBC Contains Strong Language Festival, University of Leeds and National Landscapes.  The weekend will consist of a Prize-Giving ceremony on Friday 19 September, and a day of workshops with esteemed judges Kathleen Jamie and Daljit Nagra on Saturday 20 September.  

Our Laurel Poet-in-Residence will attend the weekend in person, including the Prize-Giving ceremony and workshops, whilst absorbing the atmosphere and  reflecting on the urgency of the Laurel Prize’s themes and ethos. They will write a new poem for Poetry School to publish, using any aspect of the experience that has been of inspiration, alongside a short reflective blog. 

To see the beautiful responses of our 2024 Poet in Residence, Sammy Weaver, see here: Summit Festival with Poet in Residence, Sammy Weaver • Poetry School  

Key Benefits and Remuneration 

The Poet-in-Residence will receive: 

• Two nights’ accommodation in Bradford on Friday 19 September and Saturday 20 September; 

• Return travel from home to Bradford; 

• An invitation to the Laurel Prize-giving Ceremony on Friday 19 September; 

• A free pass to attend workshops with Kathleen Jamie and Daljit Nagra on Saturday 20 October; 

• Payment of £200 to create 40–80 lines of poetry, responding to the themes and ethos of the Laurel weekend, together with a short reflective blog of 500-800 words.  

• A place on an Autumn Term Online Fortnightly Feedback course with Zakia Carpenter-Hall, worth £100 (1st October – 11 December).  NB: one of the draft poems submitted for feedback on this course should be the commissioned Laurel weekend poem-in-progress.

Key Outputs 

• 40–80 lines of poetry responding to the Laurel weekend.  

• A blog of 500-800 words responding to the Laurel weekend.  

Eligibility

• This residency is for an early or mid-career poet. You may have published a pamphlet and/or have had a record of magazine publication and competition success. You may have a great record in performance. You must not have published a full collection of poetry; 

• Live, work, study, or have a meaningful connection with the North of England; 

• Available to be in Bradford in person on the weekend of 19 –21 September 2025; 

• Current Poetry School, National Poetry Centre or Leeds University staff may not apply.

To Apply

To apply, please send to the following to director@poetryschool.com  by noon on Tuesday 5 August. This could either be as a Word Doc or in video form, sent via WeTransfer. Please entitle your document ‘[NAME] Application for 2025 Poet-in-Residence’: 

• 3 poems, at least 1 of which should be on an environmental, climate, or nature theme; 

• A 250 word statement explaining why you would be ideal for this residency, and how the experience will help develop your creative practice; 

• A 250 word biography.  

Timeline

• Tuesday 5 August, 12 noon: Deadline for applications.  

• Tuesday 19 August: Artist-in-Residence confirmed.  

• Friday 19 September to Sunday 21 September– Attend Laurel Prize weekend, including two nights’ stay in Bradford 

• 1 October – 11 December – Attend online Autumn Term Fortnightly Feedback course with Zakia Carpenter-Hall  

• Tuesday 2 December – Draft poem/s and reflective blog submitted to Poetry School for feedback. First payment (50% of fee) released. 

• Monday 6 January 2026 – Final drafts of poem/s and reflective blog submitted to Poetry School. Final payment released.