Tower Poetry is an organisation affiliated with
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...
that aims to promote the reading and writing of poetry in young people. The group is funded by a donation from the late Christopher Tower, and run by Oxford University lecturer
Peter McDonald.
It publishes the magazine ''Poetry Matters'', which holds news and reviews as well as original poetry. It also runs the
Christopher Tower Poetry Prizes, which awards cash prizes to the best poems submitted by young people on a specified theme, and the annual Christopher Tower Summer School.The Summer School is an annual three-day course for 18- to 23-year-olds, held at Christ Church.
Christopher Tower Poetry Prizes
The Christopher Tower Poetry Prizes are annual prizes awarded to young British
poets
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
between the ages of 16 and 18, for poems submitted on a set theme. The prizes are administered by
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...
, and are funded by a bequest by the late Christopher Tower. Since their launch in 2000, the prizes have become recognised as one of the United Kingdom's most prestigious poetry awards for young writers.
Several past winners and runners-up have gone on to win other major poetry competitions, such as the
Eric Gregory Award
The Eric Gregory Award is a literary award given annually by the Society of Authors for a collection by British poets under the age of 30. The award was founded in 1960 by Dr. Eric Gregory to support and encourage young poets. In 2021, the seven ...
, and to publish collections.
Past winners and runners-up
References
{{Reflist
External links
* http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk
Tower Poetrywebsite.
Tower PoetryTwitter.
Tower PoetryInstagram.
British poetry awards
Organisations based in Oxfordshire