Winners
(listed in descending order)
All comments are from our judge, Lachlan McKinnon.
1st place: ‘I Didn’t Want This Crop’ by Martina Kontos (AUS)
‘This is a very moving poem of observation and suppressed anger (the violent verbs and actions) and expressive irony (”covering// for the covered”). It stays with the reader, thanks largely to its apparent equanimity.’
2nd place: ‘Party Animals’ by Ursula Kelly (ESP)
‘This is a wonderfully enjoyable poem, ending with the promise of either itself or something more. The alliteration is engaging and the play on “unfair dismissal” funny. The enjambement at the start of the second paragraph, after “the”, is awkward, and might come better after “driver”, although that could mean a little adjustment later. Just a small point.’
3rd place: ‘All through the Night’ by Pratibha Castle (ENG)
‘This is vividly described, the child alongside life as an observer. Although I was enjoying the poem, I felt the last “potholed by moths” fell flat. “Potholed” isn’t the right verb, I think. But the experience was powerfully conveyed by other particular details. I liked the multiplicity of meaningful things.’
4th place (Highly Commended): ‘A Priest Travels to See Her Spiritual Director’ by Esther Lay (ENG)
‘This felt almost like two poems. The second began with “I looked for him” and ended with “the quiet house”. The surrounding eight lines seemed to belong to a very different and more interesting poem The details in the middle weighed it down, as the “thing” (singular) became a habit, a hood, a chirp, a throw, an altar, a stone and a plastic case. The four lines beginning “I wondered” were the most living in this central part, and suggested another, clearer poem. Lots of promise of better.’
5th place: ‘Par Avion’ by Jose Buera (DOM REP)
‘I liked the way an airmail letter is made physically present. I couldn’t understand “proscribed” in context, though, and “collated calluses” also gave me pause. There is no doubt a poem here, but it needs to come a little closer, a little more clearly, to reach its reader.’
6th place: “The Cure of Souls” by Esther Lay (ENG)
‘This is a good poem on a rare subject. I felt I couldn’t see the old woman very clearly, though, “and “generous” didn’t really take me very far. The two doors are effective, though, and I enjoyed the gradual abstraction of the last stanza. It conveys the nature of a priest’s working life interestingly and engagingly.’
7th place: ‘Metta’ by Elaine Desmond (IRE)
‘Once Google had told me that “Dzogchen Beara” is not an East or Central European poet but a Buddhist centre, the poem made more sense. “Borrow” may not be right, though—here, it reads as “take on”. At the end, is “blue” meant to convey “sad”? It’s a far reach. The feelings were sympathetic and clear, but the expression needed honing.’
8th place: ‘Searching for the Source of the Moneycarragh River’ by Ursula Kelly (ESP)
‘Means of transport seem unclear. Is “she” a school coach-driver? Otherwise, why can they choose their speed in reaching the bus? “Coexistent” and “temporal” are a bit pompous in context, and “immediate lure” a bit wordy. However, it conveyed some of the delight of being young in an imaginable setting, which was pleasing.’
9th place: “And I will sew my heart shut” by Saffron Mortimer-Laing (ENG)
‘The general sense is clear, the “sponge” seemed rather grotesque or improbable… Crabs that fall between human toes are in my experience rare.’
10th place: “The Weather at Sycamore Gap” by Alison Carter (ENG)
‘I liked the last two stanzas very much. The earlier ones feel overwrought and could be reduced to something much simpler, clearer. Is the title right? The line beginning “The sky is grey” does more than all it follows. Sometimes one must trust simplicity to do the work.’
Longlist
(in no particular order)
‘An emigrant finds a line of pine processing caterpillars’ by Julie Sheridan (ESP/SCO)
‘Before Long’ by Sharon Black (FRA)
‘Hatchling’ by Marian Fielding (ENG)
‘Seeing in the Dark’ by Paul McMahon (IRE)
‘Tracking Tiger’ by Paul McMahon (IRE)
‘Biopsy (long after)’ by Andrew Chen (ENG)
‘What the Seals Sang’ by Iain McClure (ENG)
‘My Daughter’s Sleeping Nose’ by Gemma Strang (ENG)
‘Long Song II’ by Esther Lay (ENG)
‘Crows Landing’ by Ursula Kelly (ESP)
Congrats to our 4 winners. Thanks to Lachlan for his feedback. If you haven’t read his poetry before – I’d really recommend The Missing Months (Faber & Faber, 2022).
Well done indeed to those who placed on the long- and short- lists! I hope this credit brings you much good fortune.
I’m sorry about the delay in posting the winners before Christmas. My son’s had to have an emergency appendectomy, and well, everything else had to go on the back burner. Happy New Year to you all!
The Plaza Poetry Prize (60 lines max) is OPEN now to enter. Judge: Natalie Diaz. 1st prize: £4,000 / $5000. Deadline: 28th February 2025.
