PEN Heaney Prize

Launched in April 2024, the PEN Heaney Prize recognises outstanding poetry with a focus on social engagement.

The prize, delivered as a partnership between English PEN, Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann and the Estate of Seamus Heaney, recognises a single volume of poetry by one author, 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. It is open to both original English language collections and those translated into English.

The PEN Heaney Prize 2026 will be judged by poets Victoria Adukwei Bulley, Vona Groarke and Stephen Sexton.

Submissions for the 2026 Prize are now closed.

The PEN Heaney Prize is supported by Hawthornden Foundation and the Estate of Seamus Heaney.