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100 Poets 2005 Edition £3,000
Winner: Alan Millard Buy
This Book
£8.99
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100 Poets 2004 Edition £3,000
Winner: Angela Cheyne Buy
This Book
£8.99
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100 Poets 2003 Edition
£3,000
Winner: George
Coombs
Buy
This Book
£8.99
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100 Poets 2002 Edition
£3,000
Winner: Lorna Meehan
Buy
This Book
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100 Poets 2001 Edition
£3,000
Winner: Alan Chesterfield
Buy
This Book
Top
100 Poets 2000 Edition
£3,000
Winner: Gary Jeffery
Top
100 Poets 1999 Edition
£3,000
Winner: Sally Spedding |
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 Previous
Top 100
Prize Winners
The previous £3,000 prize winners from the past
six years are as diverse as the poems Forward Press receives.
The following is a brief introduction to them and what has happened to them since.
2005 Edition: £3,000
Alan
Millard
Read
winner Alan Millard biography
and winning poem in our Featured
Poets section. 
My
interest in
poetry was
encouraged
by a teacher
who secretly
sent one of
my poems to
Young
Elizabethan
and then
presented
me, at the
age of
eleven, with
the magazine
containing
my first
published
poem and a
ten-shilling
note from
the
publisher.
2004 Edition: £3,000
Angela Cheyne
Read
winner Angela Cheyne biography
and winning poem in our Featured
Poets section.
I first decided at the age of thirteen that I wanted to be a poet. The former ‘Mermaid Cafe’ at Porth near Newquay in Cornwall, was the fount that saw the engendering, at seventeen of my first writings.
2003 Edition: £3,000
George Coombs
Read
winner George
Coombs biography and winning poem in our Featured
Poets section.
George
Coombs is an associate
lecturer with The Open
University and also a
qualified Aromatherapist
with a small practice in
Sussex. His winning poem,
‘White Flowers’ was
originally published in the
Poetry Now anthology
‘Someone Special’.
2002 Edition: £3,000
Lorna Meehan
Read
the Winning Poem
At 21 years old, Lorna has finished her degree in Performing Arts. Lorna believes her poetry is
a way of expressing herself regardless of rules and traditions. She intends to use the
£3,000 to fund her Masters degree in Theatre. Realising how difficult it is to make a career from writing, Lorna is prepared to make the most of any opportunity that comes her way. Everyone at Forward Press wishes this talented young poet even more success for the future.
2001 Edition: £3,000
Alan Chesterfield
Read
the Winning Poem
Alan, 77, is a retired doctor and sheep farmer. Alan's current ambition is 'to see tomorrow, any tomorrow'. Influenced by Dylan Thomas, his poetry comes from the noise and smell of the words. His list of credits also include his poetry reading on BBC Radio 4 and he has also appeared on BBC television. Alan still enjoys writing and, since he was awarded the
£3,000, he has had his first play published.
2000 Edition: £3,000
Gary Jeffery
Read
the Winning Poem
In 1999 Gary walked away with the
£3,000 award. After numerous attempts to contact him we are still none the wiser as to what has happened to him since. Speculation is rife!
1999 Edition: £3,000
Sally Spedding
Read
the Winning Poem
In her own words, it was at a low point in her life when Sally received the
£3,000. Having just moved from rural Wales to urban Northampton, the award made a huge difference to her confidence and well-being. That same summer at the Annual Writers' conference, she met the person who was to become her agent. She feels the award was instrumental in the agent taking her on. Since 1998 Sally has gone on to publish two books, Wringland and Cloven. She continues to freelance, and works closely with universities and
writers' groups.
The Next Top 100
Poet
Who receives the next Top 100 prizes will be another
year of open discussion and debate amongst the editors. There is no bias or discrimination towards any poem received by Forward Press. Every poem is recognised as a part of somebody, and respected accordingly. Watch this space for the winners to be announced in
Summer 2005. The Top 100 will be around for the foreseeable future and is only going to get stronger the longer it thrives.
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