Poetry prize shortlist revealed

Don Paterson won the best first collection prize in 1993

The shortlist for the 18th Forward Prize for Poetry has been announced.

Respected poets Sharon Olds, Hugo Williams and Christopher Reid are in the running for best collection for the first time in the annual awards.

Peter Porter, who won the award in 2002 for his Max Is Missing collection, is shortlisted for a second time with his 18th book of poems, Better Than God.

The shortlist for the £10,000 prize, to be presented on 7 October, is completed by Don Paterson and Glyn Maxwell.

Paterson, nominated for Rain, won the prize for best first collection for Nil Nil in 1993.

BEST COLLECTION SHORTLIST Glyn Maxwell - Hide Now Sharon Olds - One Secret Thing Don Paterson - Rain Peter Porter- Better than God Christopher Reid - A Scattering Hugo Williams - West End Final

Another previous winner of best first collection, Paul Farley - who won in 1998 for The Boy from the Chemist is Here to See You - is among the contenders for best single poem, for Moles.

Shortlisted for this year's best first collection prize is Lorraine Mariner, who was previously nominated for best single poem in 2007.

The Forward Prizes were founded in 1992 to raise the profile of contemporary poetry.

Writer and producer Josephine Hart is chair of the judges for 2009.

She is joined by poet and librettist David Harsent, poets Jean Sprackland and Tishani Doshi, and the Guardian's poetry editor, Nicholas Wroe.