Nigerian poet Taiwo Hassan has won the First Award at the 2026 Poetry Wales Award for his poem, conversations with my mother on the prayer mat.
Judged by Welsh writer and poet Bethany Handley, Hassan’s winning poem was selected from a list of more than 600 poets who submitted over 1,600 poems to the competition. He was among 13 poets shortlisted for the award in May before being named the First Award winner on August 17.
A writer, a poet, and a vocalist, Taiwo Hassan’s work has appeared in literary publications including Uncanny Magazine, trampset, Lucent Dreaming, The Shore, Brittle Paper, Dust Poetry Magazine, Ice Floe Press and Wizards in Space. His debut chapbook, Birds Don’t Fly For Pleasure, was published by River Glass Books.
The Poetry Wales Award’s First Award comes with a £500 cash prize, a choice between a course at Literature Wales’ Tŷ Newydd Writing Centre or a Monday-Friday self-catered retreat at Nant, a one-year subscription to Poetry Wales and publication of the winning poem in a future issue of the magazine.
Congratulations, Taiwo Hassan!
