Join English PEN, Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann and the Estate of Seamus Heaney for the announcement of the winner of the PEN Heaney Prize 2025 at the National Library of Ireland, Dublin.
The PEN Heaney Prize 2025 shortlist is:
- Mirror Nation by Don Mee Choi (And Other Stories)
- No One Will Know You Tomorrow by Najwan Darwish, translated by Kareem James Abu-Zeid (Yale University Press)
- Something About Living by Lena Khalaf Tuffaha (the87press)
- Namanlagh by Tom Paulin (Faber)
- The Banquet by Stav Poleg (Carcanet Poetry)
- Wellwater by Karen Solie (Picador)
The PEN Heaney Prize 2025 has been judged by poets Sasha Dugdale, Seán Hewitt and Zaffar Kunial, with Chris Heaney joining them as non-voting Chair and representing the Estate of Seamus Heaney.
Launched in 2024, the PEN Heaney Prize recognises a single volume of poetry, published in the UK or Ireland, of outstanding literary merit that engages with the impact of cultural or political events on human conditions or relationships. Through his essays, lectures, and addresses, Heaney became one of the most eloquent advocates for poetry and the role of the poet in public life. He understood the power of poetry to speak and respond to certain moments and experiences in the wider world, while always mindful that poetry must never lose “its fundamentally self-delighting inventiveness.” Open to writers of any nationality or geographical location, including those whose work has been translated into English, at any stage of their career, the prize recognises the diverse voices producing this kind of poetry.
In honour of Heaney, the Estate, English PEN, and Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann wish to celebrate work that resonates with Heaney’s own values and interests, work that remains “true to the impact of external reality and … sensitive to the inner laws of the poet’s being”, to quote from his Nobel Lecture.
The winning volume will be revealed during the ceremony, to be held in the National Library of Ireland. The winner will receive £5,000. The event will feature speeches and readings from the shortlisted collections, followed by the announcement of the overall prize winner and a drinks and canapés reception.
The PEN Heaney Prize is delivered in partnership by English PEN, Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann and the Estate of Seamus Heaney and is generously supported by Hawthornden Foundation.