Many thanks to everyone who entered the fifth annual PBS x Metro Poetry Prize. This year the theme was celebrating our local North East region, judged by local poetry super star Rowan McCabe.
We're delighted to announce the first prize winner is 'Long Sands' by Charlie Irving, a young poet from Bellingham, Northumberland. Charlie says he "takes inspiration from the vast gallery of waterfalls and valleys the county has... with all the hopeful naivety and lived experience of being 22".
The runners up include David Mann for his poem 'A Jarra Lad', Chrissie Petrie's 'A Nod to the Stottie' and D.A. Prince's 'Kittiwakes' which wonderfully captured our region.
Judge Rowan McCabe claimed: "The theme of Tyne and Wear is massive. When someone says those words, you can't help thinking of certain things. When I was looking through the entries, I was looking for a subject that felt instantly familiar, that summed up what it feels like to live here, but which also made me see the region in a new light, through a fresh pair of eyes. 'Long Sands' does this perfectly. It's one of those poems I can read again and again. You get something different every time." The winner and three runners up will see their poems displayed on large posters at Longbenton metro station in North Tyneside, a busy commuter station which is used by more than one million customers every year.
Find out more about the PBS x Metro Poetry Prize here.