Poetry prize shortlist unveiled

The annual Forward Prize honours the best in contemporary poetry, including collections and single prose from established poets and new writers.

Five poets have been shortlisted for best collection including Paul Farley for The Ice Age and John Fuller's Now and For a Time.

Vona Groarke, David Harsent and Peter Porter complete the list.

Five writers are in the frame for the best first collection, which carries a prize of £5,000 - Chris Considine, Tom French, Stuart Pickford, Henry Shukman and Julian Turner.

The judges for the 2002 awards include BBC arts correspondent Rosie Millard, Times Literary Supplement editor Peter Stothard and 2001 Forward Prize winner Sean O'Brien.

Chair of the judging panel is Michael Donaghy, the winner of the best collection prize in 2000.

The judges leafed through 105 collections of poetry published in the UK and the Republic of Ireland in the past year.

"It was agonizing to have to narrow the year's poetry down to these shortlists,"said Mr Donaghy.

"We made hard sacrifices and I'm sure we all lost a lot of sleep, but we're in agreement that our final choices represent some of the finest currently published in this country."

The shortlist :

The Forward Prize for best collection (£10,000)

Paul Farley - The Ice Age
John Fuller - Now and for a Time
Vona Groarke - Flight
David Harsent - Marriage
Peter Porter - Max is Missing

The Waterstone's Prize for best first collection (£5,000)

Chris Considine - Swaledale Sketchbook
Tom French - Touching the Bones
Stuart Pickford - The Basics
Henry Shukman - In Doctor No's Garden
Julian Turner - Crossing the Outskirts

The Tolman Cunard Prize for best single poem (£1,000)

Ian Duhig - Rosary
Medbh McGuckian - She is in the Past, She has this Grace
Jane Draycott - No 3 Uses for the Thames
Carol Rumens - The Submerged Cathedral