3rd October, 2025

Bethany Handley and Alison Binney are Highly Commended by the Forward Prizes 2025

On National Poetry Day, the Forward Prizes for Poetry published their annual anthology, the Forward Book of Poetry which brings together the best contemporary poetry published in the UK that year, as chosen by the Forward Prize judges.

We’re delighted that both Bethany Handley and Alison Binney feature on its pages having been Highly Commended in this year’s prize. Bethany’s poem ‘Limbs not walked on’ is published in her pamphlet Cling Film and Alison’s poem ‘Testimony’ appears in The Opposite of Swedish Death Cleaning.

We’ve also got our fingers crossed for Abeer Ameer who is shortlisted for Best Single Poem – Written for ‘At Least’ which was first published by MODRON. The winners of the Forward Prizes will be announced at the award ceremony in London on 26 October 2025.