Poetry is the ship that can carry us through the turbulent waters of the present day, and poetry competitions are the engine room of that ship, generating new writing that has to stand up and be counted. Artemesia Arts is a conduit for creativity and I’m proud to be associated with this competition.’ Ian McMillan @imcmillan.bsky.social
Artemesia Arts is delighted and proud to announce that we have yet another award-winning poet as our judge for the 2027 competition.
Poet, broadcaster and familiar voice to us all, Ian McMillan has kindly agreed to captain our ship next year. Ian presents both The Verb and The Adverb, on BBC Radio 4, is poet-in-residence for Barnsley FC, is a regular on Pick of the Week, Last Word and BBC Proms Plus. He hosts the annual T.S.Eliot Prize Readings. Ian has been a castaway on Desert Island Discs andhas beenresident poet for English National Opera, Yorkshire TV’s Investigative Poet and Humberside Police’s Beat Poet.
Ian’s extensive list of publications includes To Fold the Evening Star, Red River Valley, Talking Myself Home and Neither Nowt Nor Summat as well as numerous collaborations.
Braving the waves of poems that will come our way, be they tranquil or stormy, Ian will be using his skills to find us a shortlist, two runners-up and an overall winner. We can’t wait.
