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poems
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Ali Smith'I would like to judge the Bridport Prize every year - it was a total pleasure' Annemarie Neary, Runner up, Short Story 2009'Quite simply, Bridport is the prize everyone wants to win. I'm incredibly excited to be allowed to sit with the grown-ups.' Josephine Abbott, Runner up, Poetry 2009It's hard to explain - the Bridport Prize has such a good reputation, and the competition is so strong, that getting recognition from it is so much more than a pat on the back: it gives me a sense of achievement and belief that will keep me going for ages. Lydia Fulleylove, 3rd prize, Poetry 2009Winning a prize in a big, prestigeous competition like the Bridport, gives a real boost to my sense of myself as a writer. Validation from outside, from a writer whose work I admire, makes all the difference to my determination to keep writing. Cheryl Alu, Runner up Short Story 2009For me it certainly is an honor and a privilege to have my work selected for a Bridport prize. Seeing my name listed with so many talented writers whom I've admired for so long is thrilling and, most importantly, inspires me to keep writing. Bobbie Allen, Runner up, Short Story 2009Most writers long to hear the phrase "I enjoyed that. It was good!" uttered by someone who has just finished reading something they've written, but to enter a competition and to have that something they've written singled out is special. It's exciting - it's how footballers must feel when they score a goal for their club. Winning a Bridport prize is like that for me. My arms are aloft. I'm running down the pitch. This feels like my goal scoring moment. Dore Kiesselbach, 1st prize, Poetry 2009Winning the Bridport Prize brings a startling sense of connection that has moved me closer to accepting James Wright's Blakean dictum "the branch will not break." Teresa Stenson, Runner up, Short Story 2009"Winning a Bridport prize for a story told in an unusual way - and a story I loved writing - has reminded me to have the confidence to write the way I want to." Jenny Clarkson, 1st prize, Short Story 2009Writing has been a big part of my life for a long time and winning the Bridport Prize means I can give myself permission to take my writing seriously. N Nye, 3rd prize, Short Story 2009The honor of winning a Bridport prize means a wider circle of readers, extending the connections we are all after, and this feels very good. Liz Bassett, Runner up, Poetry 2009Winning a Bridport prize is like receiving a lovely gift. It encourages me to keep sending my poems out into the world. Anna Britten, Runner up, Short Story 2009Bridport is the World Cup of short story competitions. To make the final 13 is tremendously exciting, and an honour I'd daydreamed about for years. I am most humbly grateful to the readers and judges. Clare Diprose, Runner up, Poetry 2009I was so excited to hear Iąd won a prize - itąs such a well respected competition. There was no-one at home to tell, and I curbed the urge to run along the terrace whooping, but I couldnąt stop smiling. It gives a tremendous boost to my confidence as a writer. Joanna Quinn, Dorset Prizewinner, 2009 & 2nd prize, short story 2008"Winning a Bridport prize is always a lovely surprise and a real confidence boost. As someone who lives in Dorset, the home of the Bridport Prize, I feel very proud that my 'local competition' is now so successful that thousands of people from all over the world enter every year - and even more proud that I am associated with it." Christopher Horton, Runner up, Poetry 2009"Receiving a prize in The Bridport Poetry and Short Story Competition brings important recognition for a poet due to its high standards and international reputation. It is an honour to have had one of my poems selected." Nick MacKinnon, 2nd prize, Poetry 2009I suppose all writers have blank spells when ideas don't come and your day job seems a refuge. Winning this prize set me free again after months of inarticulacy. Zach Falcon, Runner up, Short Story 2009I've never encountered a prize or publication so attentive to its finalists as Bridport. Certainly none is so in the States. I'm deeply thankful for all you've done on my (and my story's) behalf. To be honest, I'd never given any thought to Dorset beyond knowing that it figured behind Hardy's Wessex. But now it glows on the map in my head like a friend's porch light on a dark evening. I look forward to visiting someday.
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