The 2007 T S Eliot Prize and Shadowing Scheme

The shortlist has just been announced for the 2007 T S Eliot Prize for Poetry, awarded by the Poetry Book Society for the best new collection published in the UK and Ireland during 2007.

The shortlist is:

Ian Duhig, The Speed of Dark (Picador)
Alan Gillis, Hawks and Doves (Gallery)
Sophie Hannah, Pessimism for Beginners (Carcanet)
Mimi Khalvati, The Meanest Flower (Carcanet)
Frances Leviston, Public Dream (Picador)
Sarah Maguire, The Pomegranates of Kandahar (Chatto)
Edwin Morgan, A Book of Lives (Carcanet)
Sean O'Brien, The Drowned Book (Picador)
Fiona Sampson, Common Prayer (Carcanet)
Matthew Sweeney, Black Moon (Jonathan Cape)

This year the prize money, which is donated by Mrs Valerie Eliot, has been increased from £10,000 to £!5,000, making it the most valuable UK poetry prize.  In addition to this, all ten shortlisted poets will receive a cheque for £1,000.

Hailed by the Irish Independent last year as 'the world's top poetry award', the T S Eliot Prize has also been described by Poet Laureate Andrew Motion as 'the prize most poets want to win'.  It is is judged by established poets (this year it's Peter Porter chairing with Sujata Bhatt and W N Herbert).

The T S Eliot Prize Shadowing Scheme

Now running for the second year, the Shadowing Scheme encourages A level students to shadow the judges as they deliberate the shortlist. A downloadable PDF is available for each of the 10 shortlisted poets, featuring 3 of the poems from their collection plus biographies and notes. The downloads can be found on the Poetry Book Society's Poetry Bookshop Online.

There is a competition for the best 500 word rationale for the student's choice of winner plus an online poll and these, together with the teacher's guide and online poll, can be found on the English and Media Centre's emagazine site.