A 17-year-old from Bedford has overcome her nerves to be named one of the top 15 young writers globally in the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2026.
Olivia Danks beat nearly 12,000 entries from 153 countries to secure the prestigious title.
The winners were announced at a special celebration at the British Library in London, where educators and families gathered to hear the next generation of writers.
The aspiring poet runs a local book club and is currently studying for her A-Levels.
She plans to study literature at university and counts Wild Geese as her current favourite poem.
Olivia said: “It means the world to be a Foyle Young Poet. I’ve been writing poetry for many years now, but always felt too shy to submit or share my work.
“However, I was inspired by all the previous winners and their incredible work, and I’m so glad I entered. I’m still shocked to be a Top 15 Winner, and all the winning and commended pieces this year are fantastic.”
The anthology and prizes
Olivia’s winning poem, Welcome Home, Persephone, will now be published in a printed winners’ anthology, We Write our Names on the Walls.
The anthology will be distributed free of charge to thousands of schools, libraries, reading groups and poetry lovers across the UK.
A further 85 commended poems will appear in a separate online anthology in the spring.
As one of the top 15 winners, Olivia will also attend a week-long residential writing course at the Arvon centre, The Hurst.
There, she will focus on improving her poetry and establishing a community of writers under the guidance of professional poets.
All 100 winners receive further mentoring, a year’s youth membership of The Poetry Society and a goody bag full of books.
Judith Palmer, director of The Poetry Society, said: “Every year the Foyle Award awakens a new explosion of talent.
“Through this Award, The Poetry Society has been privileged to work with successive cohorts of astounding young writers, and to help them realise their potential.
“We can’t wait to see how the 2026 top one hundred young poets develop, and we have no doubt that they’ll continue to astonish and inspire us for many years to come.”
