Our judge Romalyn Ante has now selected the winning and shortlisted poems from this year’s Wolves Lit Fest poetry competition, and it’s time for us to share that news with you. Our thanks to everyone who submitted poems to this year’s competition – we received entries from across the West Midlands, all over the UK, and around the world. Wherever you are, we thank you for your support, and wish you all the very best of luck with your submissions and all your future writing.

1st prize

Holy days by Dillon Jaxx

2nd prize

Rain stories by Paul Mortimer

3rd prizes

Bodies by Peggy McCarthy
Queuing for ice-creams by Holly Sissons
The care home by Owen Gallagher

Shortlisted Poets

Adam Elms, Alison Lock, Bert Molsom, Celia Moon, Christian Ward, Christopher James, Damen O’Brien (twice), Daniel Moreschi, Dila Toplusoy Günay, Dillon Jaxx, Emma Phillips, Fraser Scott, Hilary McDaniel, Jan Westwood, Karen Evans, Kristen Mears, Mark Rowan, Paul Mortimer (twice), Penny Harper (twice), Ryan Caldic, Steve May.

Wolverhampton poet laureate Kuli Kohli selected two winning poems and five commended poems in the WV postcode prize. The winning poems are Staff room by Fraser Scott, and December-January by Santosh K Dary.

Commended Poets

Arun Kapur, Carol Howarth, Gurshaan Sahota, Kate Gilbert, Santosh K Dary.