Wirral's Dave Costello has won the prestigious 2011 Welsh Poetry Competition with his poem Horseshoe Bat, a philosophical, symbol-rich reflection on a bat’s flight. Costello, aged 53, of Wallasey, is co-organiser for Liver Bards and for Bards of New Brighton, alongside fellow poet Steve Regan. Costello’s winning poem was selected by a judging team led by Welsh novelist and poet Sally Spedding. 

The poem will appear in the anthology of the last five years’ Welsh poetry competitions due to be published by the end of the year. Costello’s success follows his poem Centurion being shortlisted for the 2011 Grist bi-annual poetry prize. That poem will be published alongside new work by such luminaries as Lemn Sissay, Ian McMillan, and Simon Armitage in the competition anthology in the autumn.

The competition judge, last year’s winner Sally Spedding, said of the winning poem: “The exquisite precision of these opening lines perfectly conveys an almost surgical procedure… this is a magical and memorable work…” Second prize went to The Carpenter’s Daughter by Kathy Miles; third was Night’s spy-glass by Moira Andrew. Another 17 poems were included in the specially commended section with winners from Wales and the UK, as well as from Florida, US and Dunedin, New Zealand. To read Dave’s poem and those of others click here 

Specially commended were: 4th  Stitches by Fatima Al Matar; 5th  Ah, you should see the mighty Deere by Mary Ryan; 6th  In Bloom by Tom Gatehouse; 7th  Perce Blackbarrow by Glyn Edwards; 8th  Lightwells by Alana Kelsall; 9th  Kasaks of Mongolia by Mary Irvine; 10th Belted Gaberdinesby Joy Winkler; 11th Aim by Louise Wilford; 12th Seal Clubbing by Glyn Edwards; 13th Girl on the Underground by Anna Brown; 14th Bridgend by Mark Lock; 15th Silas Jones by Anthony Fisher; 16th Ode to Joy by Emily Hinshelwood; 17th Beacon and Elks by Sheila Barksdale; 18th Mackworth Street by Jenny Powell; 19th The Painter’s Holiday by Jenny Powell; 20th Don’t call your father a bastard by Ceri Rees