Unprecedented third win for Lewes poet John Agard

Long-time Lewes resident John Agard has won the UK’s major award for published poetry for children, the CLiPPA (CLPE Children’s Poetry Award), for an unprecedented third time.

He was announced as winner at a ceremony at the National Theatre on London’s Southbank which was watched live by thousands of primary school children.

John first won the CLiPPA with his wife Grace Nichols in 2003 with Under the Moon and Over the Sea and then again in 2009 with The Young Inferno, illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura. He was on the shortlist in 2025 with Wise Up! Wise Down, with fellow poet Jon-Arno Lawson and Kitamura again. His third win is unprecedented in the award’s history.

Writer and poet, Children’s Laureate Wales Nicola Davies, chair of this year’s judges, said: “The first time I saw John Agard perform his work, over thirty years ago, I knew at once he was the most extraordinary artist. His poems gleam with human warmth and sunshine, but like all bright lights they cast important shadows and illuminate things we have not noticed before.

“You can carry John’s words in your head and your heart and warm your soul on them forever. His book The Poetry World of John Agard will invite new generations of readers into his wonderful universe and I'm delighted that it is this year’s CLiPPA winner.”

The Poetry World of John Agard features 80 of Agard’s best poems, with new illustrations by Shirley Hottier. Taken from early collections including I Din Do Nuttin (1983), Laughter is an Egg (1990) and We Animals Would Like a Word with You (1996), many drawing on John’s Caribbean childhood, these poems resonate with young readers today but have also inspired many of the UK’s best-known young poets.

As well as spotlighting the best new collections for children, the CLiPPA inspires young people to embrace and share poetry through its Shadowing Scheme, which has been particularly popular in the National Year of Reading. CLPE is delighted to announce that record numbers took part this year, over 600 schools and over 120,000 children.

Primary school children from Heathfield Infant School Twickenham, Norwich Road Academy, Thetford, Rhodes Avenue Primary School, North London, St Matthew’s CofE Primary School, and Carterhatch Junior School, both of Enfield, winners in the CLiPPA Shadowing Scheme, also performed live at the ceremony on the Lyttleton Theatre stage alongside the poets.

An audience of 800 watched the event live in the Lyttelton Theatre, while hundreds of schools across the country joined in watching the CLiPPA Award Ceremony via Livestream.

Anjali Patel, lead advisory teacher at CLPE said: “Congratulations to John Agard on this unprecedented third CLiPPA win and for all that he does to inspire young children to read, share and enjoy poetry. At CLPE we know that poetry is fundamental to children’s love of language and reading and are delighted to celebrate The Poetry World of John Agard and all our shortlisted collections at this very special event.”

John Agard receives a trophy and a cheque for £1,000.

The CLiPPA is delivered in partnership with the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) and supported by Arts Council England.

John was born in Guyana and moved to Britain in 1977 where his poetic talents were soon recognised. He has published more than 50 poetry collections for both children and adults and has won many awards. He has been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature since 2007. He was awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry in 2012 and received the BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021.

His poetry is on the GCSE English syllabus and he has toured widely with the GCSE Poetry Live show. He is married to fellow-poet Grace Nichols, and they live in Lewes.