News

For the third time in six years, Foyles has picked up the top prize at The Bookseller Industry Awards.   Last night, Monday 14 May, it was named National Bookseller of the Year.

This is the sixth time the independent chain, which currently has five branches in London and one in Bristol, has won a Bookseller of the Year award.  Most recently, Foyles won Chain Bookselling Company of the Year in 2008 and then Bookseller of the Year in 2010.

Foyles was also named Children's Bookseller of the Year. The prize, sponsored by Usborne, is in recognition of both commercial flair and a clear demonstration of commitment to and engagement with existing and potential readers.

Manager of Foyles on Charing Cross Road Sion Hamilton received the Children's Bookseller of the Year Award on behalf of Foyles, saying the company had set itself the task of reaching more young readers, and that this award was recognition of what they'd achieved.

Chief Executive, Sam Husain received the Bookseller of the Year Award on behalf of Foyles. He thanked all the booksellers and staff at all six branches for their hard work, as well as their loyal customers, publishers and the authors who lend their support with talks and signings.

Sam Husain said, 'We're honoured to receive these two awards this evening, both of which are testimony to the absolute necessity of passionate booksellers and stronger bookselling, which will continue to be at the core of Foyles for many years to come.'

In December 2011, Foyles announced a third year of profitable trading for the financial year ending 30th June 2011, with pre-tax profits of £204,681, and sales for 1st to 24th December 2011 up 20% on the same period in the previous year, boosted by the opening of Foyles' newest bookshop at Westfield Stratford City in November. Children's book sales across the group increased 13.3% from 2010 to 2011.

Highlights of the last year included:

• the opening in March of Foyles' first branch outside London for seventy years, in Cabot Circus, Bristol
• the new London store at Westfield Stratford City in November, which is already trading well ahead of budget and poised to take full advantage of Olympic foot traffic in summer 2012
• the acquisition and merger in March 2011 of Grant & Cutler, making Foyles the largest foreign-language bookseller in the UK
• the redesign and rebuild of Foyles' website, which now has a range of 15 million physical books and offers over 200,000 e books for sale through a fully integrated eBook service with eReading apps, Foyles powered by txtr  

Foyles' dynamic presence on social media is also a sign of the loyalty engendered by the brand and its staff, with the regular Friday #bookgame on Twitter becoming a hugely popular virtual event.

The chain's wide successful programme of literary events has recently been extended into partnerships with Time Out London and the Festival of Ideas in Bristol. Another recent coup has been an ongoing partnership with the Museum of London to highlight the Dickens bicentenary through a series of related literary talks and cross-promotions. The ever-popular publisher days run by Vintage, Picador and the Independent Alliance have continued to thrive. Children's events partnerships have been formed with the Discover Centre in Stratford and House of Illustration at Kings Cross.

Philippa Gregory, Iain Banks, Jackie Kay, Rose Tremain and Ben Okri are among the many authors who have appeared at free events in The Gallery at Foyles Charing Cross Road, while Alexander McCall Smith and Sebastian Faulks have sold out events in theatre venues. At the same time, Foyles has continued to expand its horizons for author signing events with popular musicians such as Danni Minogue, Jake Shears, Rufus Wainwright, and Jarvis Cocker alongside regular Ray's Jazz and classical music performances.

The last year has seen real growth for Foyles' children's departments.   Every branch of Foyles employs at least one children's specialist - a buyer and bookseller who are fully engaged with both the market and their audiences to keep the incredibly varied children's offer relevant and exciting.   In 2011 Foyles harnessed this expertise with the creation of the Foyles Kids Group - an internal resource-sharing network amongst the children's buyers and specialists from each shop, along with representatives from central buying and marketing.

Recent children's events at Foyles Charing Cross Road have included illustrators, Shaun Tan and Oliver Jeffers who designed an exclusive series of gift cards, bookmarks and tote bags for the shop. Foyles Westfield London and Foyles Westfield Stratford City run regular themed story times for younger readers with appearances from well-loved characters such as The Gruffalo and Elmer alongside events for schools on World Book Day. Foyles at Royal Festival Hall hosted Alice in Wonderland croquet on the lawn in the summer, and Pirate Storytelling in Foyles at Cabot Circus proved so popular that the Pirate Sticker Book topped that store's charts for weeks.

For older readers, autumn 2011 saw exclusive, sell-out London theatre events with American YA authors Cassandra Clare and Becca Fitzpatrick. Last year also saw the formation of monthly YA book group at Foyles Westfield London, where book-loving teens meet to discuss their favourite titles.

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For further information please contact

Chris Baker or Laura Norton at Four Colman Getty

07872176270 / 020 3023 9905

chris.baker@fourcolmangetty.com / laura.norton@fourcolmangetty.com

Notes to editors:

-          Foyles has London bookshops on Charing Cross Road, at the Southbank Centre, in St Pancras International, at Westfield London and at Westfield Stratford City, as well as a branch at Quakers Friars, Cabot Circus, Bristol, and an e-commerce website www.foyles.co.uk

-          The Foyles website www.foyles.co.ukhas 15 million books and over 230,000 eBooks for sale, with live stock availability from all its bookshops and details of upcoming literary events and book signings. Website customers receive a 15% discount on their purchases, with free delivery in the UK to all stores & on orders of £10 and over.

-          Foyles' flagship store is at 113-119 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0EB

Tel: 020 7437 5660 Fax: 020 7434 1574 Opening hours are: Monday to Saturday 9.30am to 9pm; Sunday 11.30 to 6pm.

-          Foyles Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London SE1 is open daily from 10am -10pm

-          Foyles at St Pancras International is open Monday to Saturday 7am- 9.30pm; Sunday 9am -8pm

-          Foyles at Westfield London, London W12 is open Monday to Wednesday 10am - 9pm, Thursday & Friday 10am - 10pm; Saturday 9am - 9pm; Sunday 12pm - 6pm

-          Foyles at Westfield Stratford City is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 9pm; Saturdays from 9am to 9pm and Sundays from 11am to 5pm

-          Foyles at Quakers Friars, Cabot Circus, Bristol is open Monday - Saturday 10 am to 8pm, Sunday 11am to 5pm

William Boyd, the award-winning and bestselling author of Restless and Any Human Heart, is to write the next James Bond novel.

The novel, which is yet to be titled, will be published in the UK and Commonwealth in autumn 2013 by Jonathan Cape - Ian Fleming's original publisher and an imprint of Vintage Publishing - and simultaneously by HarperCollins Publishers in USA & Canada. Rights were sold in the English language by Jonny Geller of Curtis Brown, on behalf of Ian Fleming Publications Ltd.

William Boyd is the third author in recent years to be invited by the Ian Fleming estate to write an official Bond novel, following in the footsteps of the American thriller writer Jeffery Deaver, who wrote Carte Blanche in 2011, and Sebastian Faulks, whose Devil May Care was published to mark Ian Fleming's centenary in 2008.

Boyd is a writer of international acclaim whose 11 novels and short-story collections have been translated into over 30 languages with many of them adapted for film and television.  While the details and title of the next 007 adventure naturally remain secret, the author has revealed that next year's publication will mark a return to 'classic Bond' and will be set in the late 1960s.

Boyd comments: 'When the Ian Fleming estate invited me to write the new James Bond novel I accepted at once. For me the prospect appeared incredibly exciting and stimulating - a once-in-a-lifetime challenge. In fact my father introduced me to the James Bond novels in the 1960s and I read them all then - From Russia with Love being my favourite.'

Corinne Turner, Managing Director of Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, comments: 

'William Boyd is a contemporary English writer whose classic novels combine literary elements with a broad appeal.   His thrillers occupy the niche that Ian Fleming would fill were he writing today and with similar style and flair.   This alongside his fascination with Fleming himself makes him the perfect choice to take Bond back to his 1960s world.'

As well as the publication of the new novel, 2013 is a significant year for Bond, marking 60 years since Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel, Casino Royale, was published by Cape in 1953. Cape was also the publisher of the first ever official Bond novel following Fleming's death in 1964, when Kingsley Amis took up the mantle writing Colonel Sun as Robert Markham in 1968.

Dan Franklin, Publisher, Jonathan Cape comments: 'It is fantastic that Bond is returning to Cape, his birthplace, and even more so that he will do so in the hands of William Boyd. I can't think of anyone better qualified.'

'In more ways than one, William Boyd really is the perfect author to write the next chapter in the life of James Bond,' adds Tim Duggan, VP and Executive Editor of HarperCollins Publishers. 'His sophisticated storytelling, his knowledge of history and espionage, and his sheer inventiveness will all come together to make this novel as grippingly suspenseful as anything I've ever read.'

Jonny Geller, Managing Director of literary agency Curtis Brown observes: 'This is a dream come true - a fantasy literary combination. Bringing together this country's most beloved literary character with one of our finest contemporary writers will produce a classic James Bond novel, true to the spirit of Ian Fleming.'

Iris Tupholme, Vice President, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, HarperCollins Canada remarks: 'William Boyd, whose mastery of plot and character has won him readers all over the world, is the right person to take the beloved James Bond in a new, fresh direction. We are delighted to be publishing the new Bond novel in Canada.'

Boyd's most recent novel, Waiting for Sunrise, is published by Bloomsbury in the UK and HarperCollins Publishers in the US on 17 April.

ENDS

Full Statement from William Boyd

'When the Ian Fleming estate invited me to write the new James Bond novel I didn't hesitate.  I accepted at once - for me the prospect appeared incredibly exciting and stimulating - a once-in-a-lifetime challenge.

'In fact my father introduced me to the James Bond novels in the 1960s and I read them all then - From Russia with Love being my favourite.

'I then became very intrigued by Ian Fleming the man and have written about him on numerous occasions.  The fascination went so far that I placed him as a character in my novel Any Human Heart where he's responsible for recruiting the novel's protagonist, Logan Mountstuart, into the Naval Intelligence Division in World War II.

'One other coincidence should be mentioned.  It turns out that I've worked with three of the actors who have played James Bond over the years. They've all starred in films that I've written: Sean Connery in A Good Man in Africa, Pierce Brosnan in Mr Johnson and Daniel Craig in The Trench.  The idea that these somewhat random connections with Fleming and Bond should culminate in my writing a new James Bond novel is irresistibly appealing.  The only thing I'm prepared to say at this stage about the novel that I will write is that it will be set in 1969.'

William Boyd Biography

Born in Accra Ghana in 1952, William Boyd was educated at Gordonstoun School and attended the universities of Nice, Glasgow and Jesus College, Oxford. His novels and short stories have garnered many awards, including the Whitbread, the Somerset Maugham Award, the Jonathan Llewellyn Rhys Prize, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, the Prix Jean Monnet and the Costa Novel of the Year. William Boyd is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and an Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He has been presented with honorary Doctorates in Literature from the Universities of St Andrews, Stirling, Glasgow and Dundee and was awarded the CBE in 2005.

As a screenwriter Boyd has written a number of feature films and television productions including adaptions of his own novels - Stars and Bars (1987), A Good Man in Africa (1993); Armadillo (2001) and Any Human Heart -  a four-part drama for Channel 4 in 2010 -  which garnered much critical acclaim.

He is married and divides his time between London and the south-west of France.

Bibliography

A Good Man in Africa, 1981; On the Yankee Station and Other Stories, 1981; An Ice-Cream War, 1982; Stars and Bars, 1984; School Ties, 1985; The New Confessions, 1987; Brazzaville Beach, 1990; The Blue Afternoon, 1993; The Destiny of Natalie 'X' and Other Stories, 1995; Armadillo, 1998; Nat Tate: An American Artist 1928-1960, 1998; Any Human Heart, 2002; Fascination (collection of short stories) 2004; Bamboo, 2005 (non-fiction); Restless, 2006; The Dreams of Bethany Mellmoth (short story) Notes from the Underground, 2007; Ordinary Thunderstorms, 2009; Waiting for Sunrise,2012.

For UK media enquiries please contact:

Amy Barder or Katy Macmillan-Scott at Colman Getty

amybarder@colmangetty.co.uk / katym@colmangetty.co.uk

Tel: 020 7631 2666

Lisa Gooding at Vintage Publishing

lgooding@randomhouse.co.uk

Tel: 020 7840 8677

                                                US media enquiries please contact:

Katherine Beitner at HarperCollins Publishers

katherine.beitner@harpercollins.com

Tel: + 212/207-7522

Notes to Editors:

• The new James Bond novel by William Boyd will be published in print and ebook editions in autumn 2013 by Jonathan Cape, an imprint of Vintage Publishing, in the UK and Commonwealth, and by HarperCollins in the US and Canada

• William Boyd's books are published in the UK by Bloomsbury; in the US by HarperCollins

• A photograph of William Boyd is available through Colman Getty

• Vintage Publishing, a division of Random House, has also acquired the 10-year license to publish Ian Fleming's entire James Bond backlist in print and ebook format, along with Fleming's two non-fiction titles in the English language worldwide exc USA/Canada. Richard Cable, Managing Director, Vintage Publishing, is available for interview through Colman Getty about this and William Boyd's new Bond novel

• Tom Duggan, VP and Executive Editor of HarperCollins is available for interview through HarperCollins US

• Corinne Turner, Managing Director, Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, is available for interview through Colman Getty

• Ian Fleming Publications Ltd is the Fleming family-owned company that owns the copyright in the Bond books www.ianfleming.com

• For further information about William Boyd, visit: www.williamboyd.co.uk

Bond Books

·         Over 100 million Bond books have been sold (and over half the world's population has seen a Bond film!)

·         Ian Fleming wrote 14 James Bond books: Casino Royale,1953; Live and Let Die,1954; Moonraker,1955; Diamonds Are Forever,1956; From Russia with Love, 1957; Dr. No, 1958; Goldfinger,1959;  For your Eyes Only,1960; Thunderball,1961; The Spy Who Loved Me,1962; On Her Majesty's Secret Service, 1963; You Only Live Twice, 1964; The Man With The Golden Gun, 1965 and Octopussy and the Living Daylights, 1966

• Fleming's other works include the children's favourite, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1964), which was made into a film and  stage musical, The Diamond Smugglers (1957) and a collection of travel writings called Thrilling Cities (1963)

• The Ian Fleming centenary was celebrated on 28th May 2008 with the publication of Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks.  

• Charlie Higson is the author of the Young Bond books which are published by Puffin in the UK

• Samantha Weinberg, writing as Kate Westbrook, is the author of the Moneypenny Diaries published by John Murray in the UK

• Other previous authors of official James Bond novels include Kingsley Amis, John Gardner and Raymond Benson

The Academy Excellence Awards is pleased to announce its final panel of VIP judges.

The Academy Excellence Awards VIP judges are:

• Art - Sandy Nairne, Director of the National Portrait Gallery
• Biology - Professor Alice Roberts, anatomist, broadcaster and professor of public engagement in science at the University of Birmingham
• Chemistry - Dr Chris Smith, presenter of BBC science radio programme The Naked Scientists
• Design & technology - Emily Cummins, inventor, designer and one of the Top Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World in 2010
• Economics - Evan Davis, presenter on BBC Radio 4's Today programme and BBC Two business reality show Dragon's Den
• English - Susie Dent, leading lexicographer and resident dictionary expert on Channel 4's Countdown
• Geography - Kate Humble, presenter on BBC Two's Orbit - Earth's Amazing Journey
• History - Dr Sam Willis, maritime historian, author and archaeologist
• Mathematics - Matt Parker, stand-up comedian whose shows blend maths, science and comedy
• Music - Jamie Cullum, pianist, singer-songwriter and jazz phenomenon
• Physics - Dr Lucie Green, scientist and astronomer
• Politics - Jon Sopel, co-presenter of the BBC News Channel
• Group Award - Sam Pinkham and Amy Voce, Breakfast presenters on Nottingham radio station Gem 106

Each of this year's eclectic mix of judges has built a successful career on their passion and expertise in their field, and we hope that their involvement will inspire students to stretch themselves, investigate new ideas and aspire for academic excellence.

Music judge Jamie Cullum said: "I'm really pleased to be judging the music category for the Academy Excellence Awards and intrigued to read the entries and see how students think music contributes to happiness and well-being in our lives."

Susie Dent, who was a judge for last year's inaugural awards and will return this year to judge the English category, said: "I'm delighted to be involved with the Academy Excellence Awards for the second year running! It's a fantastic competition and it is great to see entries from these talented young people who share my love of English language and literature."

Evan Davis, who joins the panel this year to judge the Economics award, said: "Given that the current generation of adults has screwed up economics rather badly, maybe I can learn a bit by reading some essays of the next generation. At the very least the awards are an excellent opportunity to encourage independent thinking and boost the aspirations of young people, so I'm really pleased to be taking part."

Each judge will attend a judging session in May, where they will read submitted essays and select a shortlist of ten entries to go through to the Inspiration Day and Awards Dinner at The University of Nottingham in July.

Award-winners will receive up to £1,000 plus amazing "Money Can't Buy" prizes from top UK companies.

Ends/...

For all media enquiries please contact:

Alex Bevis or Sarah Savage at Colman Getty T: 020 7631 2666

E: alex@colmangetty.co.uk / sarahsavage@colmangetty.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

• The Awards are open to students in Y11, 12 & 13 studying at academies in England.
• Academy Principals are invited to nominate one different student per subject category (Art, Biology, Chemistry, Design & Technology, Economics, English, Geography, History, Mathematics, Music, Physics and Politics) and one group for the Team award category.
• Nominated students will be required to answer an essay question set by subject specialists at The University of Nottingham.
• The shortlisted students in each category will be invited to attend an Inspiration Day and Awards Dinner at The University of Nottingham on 4 July, where the winners will be announced
• The 2011/12 Academy Excellence Awards follow a successful pilot year in 2010/2011.
• The Awards steering group members are: Anthony McClaran, Former chief executive of UCAS and now QAA; Barbara Harrison, Independent education advisor and former chief executive of the Girls Day School Trust; Christine Homer, Trustee of David Ross Foundation; David Greenaway, Vice-Chancellor of The University of Nottingham; David Ross founder of the David Ross Foundation; Kate Hobhouse, Chairman of Fortnum and Mason; Mark Bolland, Mark Bolland PR; Rusty Elvidge, Managing director of Credit Suisse and Tim Hastie-Smith, National director of Scripture Union.
• The Academy Excellence Awards are pleased to partner in association with The University of Nottingham.
• The Academy Excellence Awards are sponsored by the David Ross Foundation

The longlist of the Academy Excellence Awards has been announced today (28 March 2012). 163 students (aged 16 - 19) from 65 academies across England have successfully progressed to the next stage of the awards programme.

The Academy Excellence Awards recognise the outstanding academic achievements of Year 11, 12 & 13 students studying at academies in England. The Awards are now in their second year, following a successful pilot in 2011.

Over 250 academies registered to take part in the 2012 awards programme.  The students' essays - in thirteen categories: Art, Biology, Chemistry, Design & Technology, Economics, English, Geography, History, Mathematics, Music, Physics, Politics and Team award - were read by a panel of subject specialists who filtered the hundreds of submissions into a longlist, announced today (28 March 2012).

The longlisted essays will now be submitted to the Academy Excellence Awards' panel of VIP judges, which includes Professor Alice Roberts, anatomist and broadcaster; Evan Davis, presenter on BBC Radio 4's Today and BBC Two's Dragon's Den; Susie Dent, leading lexicographer and resident dictionary expert on Channel 4's Countdown; Kate Humble, presenter on BBC Two's Springwatch; Jamie Cullum, pianist, singer-songwriter and jazz phenomenon; and Jon Sopel, co-presenter of the BBC News Channel.  The VIP judges will read the essays before meeting later this year to select their shortlist.

Christine Homer, from the Academy Excellence Awards team, said: "After a successful pilot in 2011, we're delighted to have had more essays entered by more academies in even more subjects this year.  Our filter panel of subject specialists have all reported being extremely impressed by the quality of the essays. Our VIP judges are going to have a tough job in deciding which of these really impressive, longlisted essays make the shortlist."

The shortlist, of five students per subject, will be announced on Friday 18 May 2012, and those students will attend an Inspiration Day and Awards Dinner at The University of Nottingham on 4 July.

Award-winners will receive up to £1,000 plus amazing "Money Can't Buy" prizes from top UK companies. In addition there will be a team award for students who produce the best group project.

The full longlist of academies and students is available on the Awards website.

The theme for the 2012 Academy Excellence Awards is 'Well Being and Quality of Life'.  The essay questions were set by experts at The University of Nottingham. These were set to stretch and challenge students, requiring them to demonstrate their creativity and imagination and giving them a taste of the sort of lateral thinking required at higher education level.

The Awards aim to provide a flagship initiative for the whole academies movement and are backed by an impressive steering group including Anthony McClaran, chief executive of QAA; Kate Hobhouse, chairman of Fortnum and Mason; Rusty Elvidge, managing director of Credit Suisse; and Barbara Harrison, independent education advisor and former chief executive of the Girls Day School Trust.

For more information, visit www.academyexcellenceawards.co.uk. 

Ends/...

For press enquires contact Sarah Savage or Alex Bevis at Colman Getty

020 7631 2666 or sarahsavage@colmangetty.co.uk /alex@colmangetty.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

• The Awards are open to students in Y11, 12 & 13 studying at academies in England.
• Academy Principals are invited to nominate one different student per subject category (Art, Biology, Chemistry, Design & Technology, Economics, English, Geography, History, Mathematics, Music, Physics and Politics) and one group for the group category.
• Nominated students will be required to answer an essay question set by subject specialists at The University of Nottingham.
• The shortlisted students in each category will be invited to attend an Inspiration Day and Awards Dinner at The University of Nottingham on 4 July, where the winners will be announced
• The 2011/12 Academy Excellence Awards follow a successful pilot year in 2010/2011.
• The Awards steering group members are: Anthony McClaran, Former chief executive of UCAS and now QAA; Barbara Harrison, Independent education advisor and former chief executive of the Girls Day School Trust; Christine Homer, Trustee of David Ross Foundation; David Greenaway, Vice-Chancellor of The University of Nottingham; David Ross founder of the David Ross Foundation; Kate Hobhouse, Chairman of Fortnum and Mason; Mark Bolland, Mark Bolland PR; Rusty Elvidge, Managing director of Credit Suisse and Tim Hastie-Smith, National director of Scripture Union.
• The Academy Excellence Awards are pleased to partner in association with The University of Nottingham.
• The Academy Excellence Awards are sponsored by the David Ross Foundation
• The VIP Judges for 2012 are: Sandy Nairne, Director of the National Portrait Gallery; Professor Alice Roberts, anatomist and broadcaster; Dr Chris Smith, radio presenter and scientist; Emily Cummins, inventor; Evan Davis, presenter on BBC Radio 4's Today and BBC Two's Dragon's Den; Susie Dent, leading lexicographer and resident dictionary expert on Channel 4's Countdown; Kate Humble, presenter on BBC Two's Springwatch; Dr Sam Willis, maritime historian, author and archaeologist; Matt Parker, stand-up comedian whose shows blend maths, science and comedy; Jamie Cullum, pianist, singer-songwriter and jazz phenomenon; Dr Lucie Green, scientist and astronomer; Jon Sopel, co-presenter of the BBC News Channel

The Forward Arts Foundation is from today, Wednesday 28 March, accepting submissions from publishers to The Forward Prizes for Poetry 2012. Now in their 21^st year and with a total value of £16,000, the prizes are some of the most sought after accolades for both established and emerging poets in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Submissions will be reviewed by a judging panel chaired by Leonie Rushforth, a poet, teacher and judge of the 2011 Forward Prizes. She is joined by fellow poets Ian McMillan and Alice Oswald, and journalists Emma Hogan, a freelance writer and literary critic, and Megan Walsh, feature writer, assistant editor and critic on The Times Saturday Review.

Publishers can submit contemporary poets to three categories:

• The Forward Prize for Best Collection, sponsored by the Forward Arts Foundation, which will award £10,000 for a collection published between 1 October 2011 and 30 September 2012

• The Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection, sponsored by Felix Dennis and the Forward Arts Foundation, which will award £5,000 for a debut collections published between 1 October 2011 and 20 September 2012

• The Forward Prize for Best Single Poem in memory of Michael Donaghy, sponsored by the Forward Arts Foundation, which will award £1,000 for a single poem published between 1 May 2011 and 30 April 2012

Founded by William Sieghart in 1992 and sponsored by The Forward Group, over the last 20 years The Forward Prizes have recognised and awarded the best in contemporary poetry.

Previous winners of the Best Collection category include Sean O'Brien, John Burnside, Carol Ann Duffy, Seamus Heaney, Ted Hughes and Jo Shapcott.  Many contemporary voices, now at the peak of their careers, received an early boost from winning the Best First Collection category, including Don Paterson, Simon Armitage, Kate Clanchy and Robin Robertson. Just one poet, Robin Robertson, has won all three prizes.

The deadline for submissions to the 2012 prizes is Friday 4 May 2012.

Leonie Rushforth comments:

"The Forward poetry prizes are awarded at the end of a uniquely attentive process.  I'm very much looking forward to working with my fellow judges to find the most striking new arrivals, as well as the collection that will be 2012's addition to the distinguished list of previous winners of Best Collection." 

William Sieghart, Chairman of the Forward Arts Foundation, comments:  

"The Forward Arts Foundation is honoured to announce another gifted panel of judges for the 21^st edition of the Forward Prizes. We welcome submissions from all publishers of poetry and poetry competitions in the UK and Republic of Ireland."

The winners of The Forward Prizes for Poetry 2012 will be announced on the eve of National Poetry Day, Wednesday 3 October 2012. The Forward Book of Poetry 2013, an anthology of poems from this year's Prizes highly commended by the judges, will also be published on National Poetry Day, Thursday 4 October.

Judges of The Forward Prizes 2011

Leonie Rushforth (Chair) has published poems and reviews in a wide range of magazines and journals; she was awarded the Keats-Shelley Prize in 2003.  She teaches in the English department at St Paul's Girls' School.

Emma Hogan is a freelance writer and literary critic. She writes for The Economist, The Financial Times, Intelligent Life, The Telegraph and the Times Literary Supplement. In June 2011 she graduated with an MPhil from Cambridge.

Ian McMillan is poet-in-residence for English National Opera, The Academy of Urbanism and Barnsley FC. He's UK Trade & Investment's Poet, Yorkshire TV's Investigative Poet and Humberside Police's Beat Poet. He has written comedy for radio and plays for the stage, and worked extensively for Radios 1,2,3,4 and Five Live as well as for Yorkshire Television and BBC2's Newsnight Review.  Ian currently presents The Verb, Radio 3's Cabaret of The Word, and writes weekly columns for The Yorkshire Post and The Barnsley Chronicle. He performs both solo and with cartoonist Tony Husband and musician Luke Goss.

Alice Oswald has published six volumes of poetry and two anthologies. Much of her work is collaborative and includes pieces written for dance, street theatre and trumpet. She lives in Devon and is married with three children.

Megan Walsh is a feature writer, assistant editor and books critic on The Times Saturday Review.  During her time on the books desk she has interviewed Penelope Lively, Andrew Motion and Peter Ackroyd, as well as the world's only spider silk farmers. In her spare time she likes cycling around London's backstreets.

- Ends -

For further information about the prizes or to arrange an interview with any of the judges, please contact

Chris Baker or Truda Spruyt at Colman Getty

020 7631 2666 / chris@colmangetty.co.uk

Notes to editors:

1.       Founded in 1991 The Forward Arts Foundation is one of the UK's foremost supporters of the literary arts. The Foundation is fuelled by an ambition to transform the image of poetry in the public sphere. The Foundation does this through three key activities: the Forward Prizes for Poetry, National Poetry Day, Winning Words.

2.       The Forward Prizes are one of the UK's most valuable annual prizes for poetry, with a total prize value of £16,000.  The prizes are divided into three categories: The Forward Prize for Best Collection (£10,000), The Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection (£5,000) and the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem in memory of Michael Donaghy (£1,000).

3.       Collections of poetry published in the UK and Republic of Ireland between 1 October 2011 and 30 September 2012 or single poems published in the UK and Republic of Ireland between 1 May 2011 and 30 April 2012 are eligible for the Prizes. Single poems which have won poetry competitions, with prizes awarded between 1 May 2011 and 30 April 2012, are also eligible.

4.       Copies of the rules and the submission form are available from Colman Getty.  The closing date for entries is Friday 4 May 2012

5.       This year's judges and William Sieghart, Chairman of the Forward Arts Foundation, are available for interview

6.       Forward, one of the UK's leading customer publishing agencies, are sponsors and key supporters of the Forward Prizes for Poetry. Forward creates beautifully crafted, highly targeted customer communications for clients such as Patek Philippe, Bang & Olufsen, Tesco, Ford, Standard Life, Transport for London and Barclays. Forward's bespoke magazines, websites, ezines and emails are produced in 38 languages and reach customers in 172 countries. www.theforwardgroup.com

7.       Copies of The Forward Book of Poetry 2012 are available on request from Colman Getty

8.       Previous winners of the Forward Prizes are:

Best Collection: John Burnside Black Cat Bone (Jonathan Cape) 2011, Seamus Heaney Human Chain (Faber & Faber) 2010, Don Paterson Rain (Faber & Faber) 2009, Mick Imlah The Lost Leader (Faber & Faber) 2008,  Sean O'Brien The Drowned Book (Picador) 2007, Robin Robertson Swithering (Jonathan Cape) 2006, David Harsent Legion (Faber & Faber) 2005, Kathleen Jamie The Tree House (Picador) 2004, Ciaran Carson Breaking News (Gallery Press) 2003, Peter Porter Max is Missing (Picador) 2002, Sean O'Brien Downriver (Picador) 2001, Michael Donaghy Conjure (Picador) 2000, Jo Shapcott My Life Asleep (OUP) 1999, Ted Hughes Birthday Letters (Faber & Faber) 1998, Jamie McKendrick The Marble Fly (OUP) 1997, John Fuller Stones and Fires (Chatto) 1996, Sean O'Brien Ghost Train (OUP) 1995, Alan Jenkins Harm (Chatto) 1994, Carol Ann Duffy Mean Time (Anvil Press)1993 and Thom Gunn The Man with Night Sweats (Faber & Faber) 1992

Best First Collection: Rachel Boast Sidereal (Picador) 2011, Hilary Menos Berg (Seren) 2010, Emma Jones The Striped World (Faber & Faber) 2009, Kathryn Simmons Sunday at the Skin Launderette (Seren) 2008, Daljit Nagra Look We Have Coming To Dover (Faber & Faber) 2007, Tishani Doshi Countries of the Body (Aark Arts) 2006, Helen Farish Intimates (Jonathan Cape) 2005, Leontia Flynn These Days (Jonathan Cape) 2004, A.B. Jackson Fire Stations (Anvil Press) 2003, Tom French Touching the Bones (Gallery Press) 2002, John Stammers Panoramic Lounge-bar (Picador) 2001, Andrew Waterhouse In (The Rialto) 2000, Nick Drake The Man in the White Suit (Bloodaxe) 1999, Paul Farley The Boy from the Chemist is Here to See You (Picador) 1998, Robin Robertson A Painted Field (Picador) 1997, Kate Clanchy Slattern (Chatto) 1996, Jane Duran Breathe Now, Breathe (Enitharmon) 1995, Kwame Dawes Progeny of Air (Peepal Tree) 1994, Don Paterson Nil Nil (Faber & Faber) 1993 and Simon Armitage Kid (Faber & Faber) 1992

Best Single Poem: R. F. Langley To a Nightingale (London Review of Books) 2011, Julia Copus An Easy Passage (Magma) 2010, Robin Robertson At Roane Head (London Review of Books) 2009, Don Paterson Love Poem For Natalie 'Tusja' Beridze (Poetry Review) 2008, Alice Oswald Dunt (Poetry London), 2007, Sean O'Brien Fantasia on a Theme of James Wright (Poetry Review) 2006, Paul Farley Liverpool Disappears for a Billionth of a Second (The North) 2005, Daljit Nagra Look We Have Coming to Dover (Poetry Review) 2004, Robert Minhinnick The Fox in the Museum of Wales (Poetry London) 2003, Medbh McGuckian (2002), Ian Duhig (2001), Tessa Biddington (2000), Robert Minhinnick (1999), Sheenagh Pugh (1998), Lavinia Greenlaw (1997), Kathleen Jamie (1996), Jenny Joseph (1995), Iain Crichton Smith (1994), Vicki Feaver (1993) and Jackie Kay (1992)