Who won the 2025 TS Eliot poetry prize?

Canadian poet Karen Solie won the 2025 TS Eliot poetry prize for her collection 'Wellwater'.

What is Karen Solie's collection 'Wellwater' about?

'Wellwater' explores the destruction of the natural world, shaped by Solie's rural Canadian upbringing.

What prize money does the TS Eliot winner receive?

The winner of the TS Eliot poetry prize receives £25,000 from the TS Eliot Foundation.

Home / Arts and Entertainment / Canadian Poet Wins TS Eliot Prize for Nature's Plight

Canadian Poet Wins TS Eliot Prize for Nature's Plight

19 Jan

•

Summary

Karen Solie won the 2025 TS Eliot prize for her collection 'Wellwater'.
The winning collection addresses the destruction of the natural world.
Solie, who teaches in Scotland, lives the rest of the year in Canada.

Canadian Poet Wins TS Eliot Prize for Nature's Plight

Canadian poet Karen Solie has been awarded the 2025 TS Eliot poetry prize for her collection "Wellwater." The prestigious award, presented at a ceremony at the Wallace Collection, comes with a £25,000 prize from the TS Eliot Foundation. This marks Solie's second major recognition for the work, having previously shared the Forward prize for best collection.

"Wellwater," Solie's sixth poetry collection, grapples with profound themes of environmental destruction, drawing significantly from her upbringing in rural Saskatchewan. The poems are noted for their ability to hold contrasting sentiments about the world's beauty and its terrible aspects in equipoise, infused with an ironic humor.

Solie, who holds a half-time teaching position at the University of St Andrews, resides in Canada for the remainder of the year. Her nominated collection was selected from a strong shortlist by a panel of esteemed poets. The TS Eliot prize celebrates new poetry collections published in the UK and Ireland.