Tom Paulin has been announced as the winner of the PEN Heaney Prize 2025 for his poetry collection Namanlagh, published by Faber.
The award was presented at a ceremony held at the National Library of Ireland in Dublin.
Founded in 2024, and named for poet Seamus Heaney, the PEN Heaney Prize honours a single-author collection of poetry of outstanding literary merit that explores the impact of cultural or political events on human conditions or relationships.
The Irish branch of PEN forms part of the International PEN organization, a group who represent writers, literature and free speech around the world.
The prize is supported by English PEN, Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann, and the Estate of Seamus Heaney.
Namanlagh marks Paulin's first collection in more than a decade and his tenth overall, in a celebrated career spanning five decades as poet and cultural commentator.
The judging panel comprised poets Sasha Dugdale, Seán Hewitt, and Zaffar Kunial, with Chris Heaney serving as non-voting chair on behalf of the Heaney Estate.
Of the winning title, the judging panel said: 'Tom Paulin's Namanlagh is beautiful and moving. One of the poems is called ‘Spare Room’ and spareness is at work throughout – often the poems are a single stanza with relatively short lines. It’s as though nothing is to be falsely embellished and yet the language sings ‘like the real hard stuff’ – even through depression, as history echoes with the present and small resistances speak up.’
Paulin, who grew up in Belfast and now lives in Oxford, expressed gratitude for the award, highlighting its emphasis on social engagement. He added: "The Prize is particularly special to me because of its association with Seamus Heaney. His poems of sublime beauty have brought a depth of concern and an unfalteringly humane perspective to the conflict in Northern Ireland, and added immensely to the imaginative wealth of Ireland and the world beyond.'
The prize includes £5,000 for the winning author, with an additional award for translators if applicable.
Also shortlisted for the 2025 prize were Mirror Nation by Don Mee Choi, No One Will Know You Tomorrow by Najwan Darwish, translated by Kareem James Abu-Zeid, Something About Living by Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, The Banquet by Stav Poleg and Wellwater by Karen Solie.
The PEN Heaney Prize alternates between ceremonies in Ireland and England. Susannah Dickey won the inaugural award in 2024 for her collection ISDAL. The next ceremony will take place in England in 2026.
