Forward Prizes and Summit

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The annual Forward Prizes for Poetry recognise the best single poems, printed or performed, the best first collection and the best collection as well as producing an anthology of work from the year.

For the third year now Squad poets have taken part in the Forward Youth Poets Summit and attended the Prize announcement event. After previous years in Leeds and Durham, October 2025 saw us at London’s South Bank with Barbican Young Poets, HIVE South Yorkshire, Young Identity and Dignity & Respect. After a day of debate and workshops curated by the poets themselves, including Kayleigh Jayshree from the Squad, Kayleigh, Charlotte Cropper and Jay Mitra read at a Next Verse event.  At the ceremony the next night, writers were able to see if their shadow judges, including Kaz Abbas for the Squad, agreed with the official  judges’ decisions.