Judging these awards has been one of the high points of my career, and I am so excited to see what the winners do next

Jamie hale
An image of Jamie Hale, in duotone, They are wearing a black top, their wheelchair headrest cradles their head, and they are white, with dark hair and a dark beard. The duotone matches the golden colours of the site
Jamie Hale

The Disabled Poets Prize 2024 is open

The Prize accepts entries from deaf and disabled poets aged 18+ currently living full-time in the UK. 

There are three categories to the Prize: 1) Best Unpublished Poem, 2) Best Unpublished Pamphlet, 3) Best Poem Performed in British Sign Language.

In each category, there will be a first place prize (£500), second prize (£250), third place prize (£100), and three highly commended, awarded £50. The Prize offers significant professional development opportunities for the winning writers, including a publication deal with Verve Poetry Press for the best unpublished pamphlet as well as development prizes from The Literary Consultancy and Arvon Foundation. The winners will be announced at Deptford Literature Festival in March 2024. 

Find out more and enter now.

About the prize – BSL

BSL Interpreter Rinkoo Barpaga shares information about the Disabled Poets Prize in BSL

Congratulations to the winners of the 2023 Disabled Poets’ Prize

The winner of the Best Single Poem category was Jamie Fields, with How To Sign Playground, and the winner of the Best Unpublished Pamphlet category was Katharine Moss, with The Still Point. Thanks to our judges, and partners and supporters.

In its first year, the Prize was made possible by CRIPtic Arts, Spread the Word, Verve Poetry Press and Festival and individual donations from Jamie Hale and Nathalie Teitler. The 2024 Disabled Poets Prize is supported by ALCS, and is actively seeking donations and conversations with people and organisations who are interested in supporting deaf and disabled poets and would like to contribute to the Prize’s growth.

If you have any questions, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page or contact us on [email protected]

The UK’s first Disabled Poets Prize was launched in 2023 and looks to find the best work created by UK based deaf and disabled poets, in written English and in British Sign Language. 

Deaf and disabled poets will be able to submit to three categories – best single poem, best unpublished pamphlet, and best poem performed in British Sign Language. In each category, there will be a first place prize (£500), second prize (£250), third place prize (£100), and three highly commended entries, (£50). The Prize offers significant professional development opportunities for the winning writers, including a publication deal with Verve Poetry Press for the best unpublished pamphlet as well as development prizes from The Literary Consultancy and Arvon Foundation.

The judges for the 2024 Disabled Poets Prize are Pascale Petit, Stephen Lightbown, Kabir Kapoor and Jamie Hale. 

The 2024 Prize opens for entries on Thursday 7 September 2023 at 9am and closes for entries on Tuesday 31 October 2024 at 1pm. Deaf and disabled poets can enter online or by post. 

You can find out more about the Prize, including how to enter, terms and conditions, and Frequently Asked Questions on this site.

The Disabled Poets Prize 2024 has other BSL videos, including:  

2024 Disabled Poets Prize Judge Kabir Kapoor will be hosting a free online workshop in BSL on Saturday 21 October, 12pm-3pm for Deaf BSL users to experiment and create visual poetry. Places can be booked through the Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/2024-disabled-poets-prize-bsl-workshop-with-kabir-kapoor-tickets-727351276247


The Disabled Poets Prize is a collaboration between CRIPtic Arts, Spread the Word, Verve Poetry Press and Verve Poetry Festival. The 2024 Prize is supported by the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS).