Derek Walcott won the 2010 T S Eliot Prize for Poetry with White Egrets. The winner was chosen from a field of ten highly-regarded poets, two of which were Pascale Petit and John Haynes, both published by Seren (2010).
The judges of this year’s Prize, Chair Anne Stevenson, reached their decision after months of deliberation and debate.
Anne Stevenson said “This year’s exceptionally strong and varied shortlist made it difficult to choose the winner.”
The winner was announced at the T S Eliot Prize award ceremony at the Wallace Collection on Monday 24th January.
Mrs Valerie Eliot presented the winner with a cheque for £15,000 and shortlisted poets received a cheque for £1,000 in recognition of their achievement in winning a place on the most prestigious shortlist in UK poetry.
The award ceremony was precede by the T S Eliot Prize Readings on Sunday 23rd January, which moved this year to the Royal Festival Hall, achieving a spectacular 2000 strong audience, wth twice as many tickets sold as the previous year.
Seren’s shortlisted poets were:
Pascale Petit What the Water Gave Me
John Haynes You

This years Ted Slade Award goes to  Peter Finch, poet, critic and Chief  Executive of Academi, the Welsh National Literature Promotion.  The award is given annually to a person who is, in the opinion of the selection panel, has given unstintingly of their time and efforts over many years to promote poetry to a wider audience.  Nominations for the award are made by members of Poetry Kit, and  the selection is made from suitable short listed nominations, by an   appointed selection panel.
Jim Bennett, who is a poet and Chair of Selectors, said, “Peter Finch has had a long and distinguished career, not only as a poet,  but also as editor, critic and in recent years as Chief Executive  of Academi, promoting literature. Peter has been an inspiration for  many years and this award is given to acknowledge the tremendous  contribution he has made to poetry.

In the week of 17-24 January, the run-up to the TS Eliot Prize announcement at the award ceremony, BBC Radio 4’s Today programme will broadcast one poem read by each of the ten poets on the shortlist, including Seren poets Pascale Petit (on the 17th) and John Haynes (on the 24th). They will also have a feature on the BBC Radio 4 Today website, where two poems per poet can be listened to.
On Sunday 23 January 2011, the eve of the judges’ decision, the T S Eliot Prize Readings will be staged at the Southbank’s Royal Festival Hall, after a complete sell-out last year in the Queen Elizabeth Hall. This grand new venue will provide a fantastic setting as all ten poets are invited to read from their shortlisted collections, making the Readings a unique opportunity to hear the best contemporary poets reading their own work.
The judging panel this year, chaired by Anne Stevenson with Michael Symmons Roberts and Bernardine Evaristo, have a strong shortlist to choose from – collections by Simon Armitage (last year’s chair of the judges), Annie Freud, John Haynes, Seamus Heaney, Pascale Petit, Robin Robertson, Fiona Sampson, Brian Turner, Derek Walcott and Sam Willetts.
Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XXwww.southbankcentre.co.uk/find/literature-spoken-word/tickets/ts-eliot-prize-readings-55582
Box office 0844 875 0073 or go to www.southbankcentre.co.uk to book online
Prices: £15 Concs 50% off