About
The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award is an international literary prize that celebrates excellence in Poetry and Short Fiction. The prize is now in its 10th year, hosted by the international art and culture publication, Aesthetica Magazine. With the aim to support and nurture new writing talent, it awards publication within an inspiring anthology to a shortlist of 60 writers, including a winner from each category.
The winners are also presented with further opportunities to expand their literary careers: £500 cash prize each, a consultation with literary agency Redhammer Management, a Full Membership to The Poetry Society, a subscription to Granta and books courtesy of Bloodaxe Books and Vintage Books.
Aesthetica champions artists across a range of media, with talent development at its core. It presents two further awards: the Aesthetica Art Prize and the BAFTA Qualifying Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF). Through its three awards, Aesthetica showcases practitioners and supports their career through its international reputation and links with the creative industries.
Press Coverage
Previous Winners
Leland James
2016 Poetry Winner
Leland James lives in a cabin in the woods in northern Michigan. He writes full time, punctuated with splitting wood, shoveling snow, and giving readings at libraries and schools. His poems have appeared in publications world-wide and have received numerous international honours. He is the author of three books of poetry.
Read Leland James’s winning piece here.
Jennifer Roe
2014 Short Fiction Winner
Jennifer Roe is from the idyllic village of Dalkey in Dublin. She teaches English, though this year has returned to the other side of the desk to study a Masters in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia, where she is working on her first novel. Jennifer’s fiction is inspired by music; it is a love that will ever exist alongside her passion for writing.
Read Jennifer Roe’s winning work here.
Sylvia Adams
2014 Poetry Winner
Sylvia Adams is the author of a novel, a poetry collection, an award-winning chapbook and a children’s book. A writing instructor, book reviewer and former poetry columnist for The Ottawa Citizen, she is a founding member of Canada’s Field Stone Poets. As Adar Press, she edits and publishes chapbook anthologies by her poetry groups.
Read Sylvia Adams’ winning poem here.