Congratulations to Lilia H in Year 13 for becoming one of the top 15 winners for this year’s Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2026. Devised and run by The Poetry Society and developed with longstanding funding from the Foyle Foundation, the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award is firmly established as one of the leading poetry competitions for young people aged 11 to 17. In 2026, 11,798 poems were entered into the competition from 10,598 young poets. Young people from 153 countries took part from as far afield as Mexico, India and Australia as well as every mainland postcode area of the UK. From these poems this year’s judges John McAuliffe and Rachel Long selected 100 winners, made up of 15 top poets and 85 commended poets.

Well done to Lilia on an amazing achievement!