GERARD ROCHFORD POETRY PRIZE 2026

KANDALA SINGH FROM NEW DELHI, INDIA
WINS THE GERARD ROCHFORD POETRY PRIZE 2026

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Judges notes and poets’ short biographies and portrait

Poet, Kandala Singh has won the Gerard Rochford Poetry Prize 2026 with her poem Raag Malhar.

Established in memory of distinguished Aberdeen poet Gerard Rochford, the Gerard Rochford Poetry Prize 2026 – organised by Rochford’s Literary Executors in collaboration with the Mist and Mountain creative platform – invited writers worldwide to submit an original poem on the theme of ‘Journey’. With submissions from Australia to Zambia, the competition attracted 903 entries from more than 60 countries.

Celebrated poet, Sheena Blackhall – who selected the winner and runners up from the final shortlist – said: “It’s been a delight and an honour to be asked to judge the Gerard Rochford Poetry Prize 2026. Gerard was a multi-talented man. He was also an inspiring poet and a mentor to many, unstinting in giving his time and support to others. So many poets owe their career to this unassuming man. He was a transatlantic poet too, and the sheer volume of submissions to this competition is testimony to the wide reach of his reputation as a widely published poet, makar, therapist, patriarch, and life force for good. He is much missed.”

Ms Singh wins £200 and a handmade commemorative bowl, created by Gerard’s ceramicist daughter, Lucy Carolan, which features the opening line of Gerard Rochford’s poem ‘Waterfall’ ‘We follow paths but then we wander…’ reflecting the contest theme.

Two runners up – Nigerian poet Ebuka Stephen with his poem In the Bus Heading Out of Òjòó and Leander P.E. Isler from Switzerland for What the Glacier Gave Back – receive small commemorative bowls and £50.

A further seven poems were Highly Commended:

An Atlas of Ordinary Things by Ayesha Fatima

Brass Compass by Knotbrook Taylor

Journey back home by Shreejaya Nair

This Journey We’re On by Damen O’Brien

Two Singles to Laugharne by Nick McGaughey

Westering by Andrew Alton

What Remained of the Road by Eugene Geibrielle A. Nacino

Brought up in Worcestershire, Gerard Rochford(1932 – 2019) lived most of his life in his adopted home city Aberdeen, where he was a distinguished professor and psychotherapist. Poetry was his true vocation and he was widely published in newspapers, influential online magazines, chapbooks and poetry collections. At the heart of Aberdeen’s vibrant poetry scene, Gerard was highly respected, not only for the quality of his own work, but for his generosity of spirit and time, mentoring and championing the work of nascent poets.

Kandala Singh’s winning poem, Raag Malhar and runners up, Ebuka Stephen and Leander P.E. Isler’s poems can be read in full online at Mist and Mountain Creative Residency and Gerard Rochford Poetry. The Highly Commended poems will also be published.
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Winner: Kandala Singh for her poem Raag Malhar.
Sheena Blackhall said: “I looked up the words Raag Malhar and discovered that it is an ancient Indian classical music melody that is deeply connected to the rainy monsoon season. The setting is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – the Steel City. The poet has recently returned from home ‘where summer means softness – squelch of litchi and release of mango sweetness…’ The writer ‘drifts in translation’ between two cultures. Compare this with, ‘a stranger yelled at him…Move asshole! Else I’ll cut your dick off’. We are transported to the worldview of someone who has experienced East and West, beautifully phrased. It resonates on so many levels, brilliantly.”

Kandala Singh – short biography

Kandala Singh is a writer, qualitative researcher & teaching artist from New Delhi. Her first love is writing—poetry, fiction, and all things narrative. Her work has won fellowships and awards from the Bread Loaf Writer’s Conference, the Sangam House International Writers’ Residency and the Hudson Valley Writers Center, among others. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing (Poetry) at the University of Pittsburgh. Kandala is currently working on her first full-length poetry collection. Further information: https://www.kandalasingh.com.

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Pic: Ebuka Stephen

Runner Up: Ebuka Stephen for In the Bus Heading Out of Òjòó

Sheena Blackhall said: “With this poem I looked up Òjòó. Among other meanings, it’s the name of a prominent neighbourhood and transportation hub in Nigeria. The evocative imagery in this poem immediately transports you to this very specific world, the pack of passengers in a bus going through a checkpoint and their emotions. Some experience fear of the unknown, others, fear of failure, or the frisson of coming face to face with menacing figures. ‘we are in one way or the other afraid of losing ourselves to fear.’ The poem is set out to replicate this fear… broken sentences, spaces that indicate a sharp intake of breath. It holds your interest, you are invested in this journey.”

Ebuka Stephen – short biography

Ebuka Stephen is an emerging Nigerian poet. His poems have appeared in Rattle, Dragon Soul Press, Discretionary Love, Bluebird’s Scribe Review and elsewhere. He was longlisted for both the 2025 ZODML Poetry Prize and the 2025 Sande Poetry Prize. And was a finalist in the 2026 October Project Poetry

Pic: Leander P.E. Isler

Runner Up: What the Glacier Gave Back by Leander P.E. Isler

Sheena Blackhall said: “A wee gem of a poem. The lines are spare, lending impact to the raw emotion in the poem. Is closure after fifty years a letting go or a reopening of old wounds? The glacier ‘kept you like a secret’, as it dies, releasing the dead climber in the thaw. I wasn’t familiar with the word fireweed, and on looking it up, was rewarded by finding it is plant that can crack rocks in its search for nutrients. It is known as the herb of regeneration. In contrast, the body of the climber is at last given up to death from being frozen for decades. The echoes of climate change add an extra layer.”

Leander P.E. Isler – short biography

Leander P. E. Isler lives near Zurich, where he grew up. He works in information security and has written on defence and social policy for the Neue Zürcher Zeitung. His poems, in English rather than Swiss German, draw on family, history and the extremes where nature and technology meet.

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COMPETITION CLOSED

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED. WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON 30 SEPTEMBER 2026. GOOD LUCK TO ALL PARTICIPANTS!

GERARD ROCHFORD POETRY PRIZE 2026

ENTRY RULES:

1. The Gerard Rochford Poetry Prize 2026 is an international poetry competition open to any writer over the age of 18.

2. Entry is FREE but limited to one poem per individual entrant.

3. The theme of the competition is ‘Journey’.

4. All entries must be in English.

5. Poems can be any length up to a maximum of 40 lines.

6. Poems must be titled and entirely the original, unpublished work of the entrant.

7. By entering this competition you confirm that AI has not been used to create your poem and that your poem is not entered into any other ‘live’ poetry competitions.

8. Submissions must be entered under the entrant’s real name.

9. No relatives of the Gerard Rochford Prize 2026 judging committee are eligible to enter this competition.

10. The poet retains the copyright of their submitted work, but by entering the competition, they grant the organisers a non-exclusive licence to publish their work in any media to promote the competition.

11. The closing date for entries is midnight (UK time) Tuesday 30 June 2026.

12. Mist and Mountain Creative Platform and Gerard Rochford’s Literary Executors will shortlist entries for final judging.

13. Award-winning poet Sheena Blackhall will select the winner and runners up from the shortlist.

14. The judge’s decision is final and competition organisers are unable to comment on individual entries.

15. The winner and runners up will be announced on Wednesday 30 September 2026 and see their poems published on the Mist and Mountain website and the Gerard Rochford Poetry page. The remaining finalists from the shortlist will be similarly published.

16. First Prize is £200 and a specially commissioned ceramic bowl, created by artist Lucy Carolan, featuring an excerpt of Gerard Rochford’s poetry.

17. Two runners up will each receive £50 and a small, bespoke commemorative bowl, created by artist Lucy Carolan.

18. All entries – including the author’s real name and contact details – must be submitted electronically via the following email address gerardrochfordpoetry@gmail.com

19. Disqualification: The organisers reserve the right to disqualify any entry that does not meet the entry requirements, contains plagiarised or offensive material, or violates any laws or regulations.

20. Agreement: By entering the competition, poets agree to abide by these rules and to the judges’ decisions.

You can keep up to date with the competition, by liking and following the Gerard Rochford Poetry and Mist and Mountain(UK) pages. And we love it when you tell us where in the world you are sending your poem from.

We look forward to reading your submissions.

Thank you.

Further information:
Martin Shannon, Gerard Rochford Poetry Prize 2026
Tel: 07714 504088 Email: gerardrochfordpoetry@gmail.com

Nabin K. Chhetri, Director Mist and Mountain Creative Platform
Email: contact.mistandmountain@gmail.com

INTERNATIONAL POETRY PRIZE IN MEMORY OF DISTINGUISHED ABERDEEN POET TO LAUNCH ON WORLD POETRY DAY

The international poetry competition in memory of distinguished Aberdeen poet Gerard Rochford returns on World Poetry Day, 21 March 2026.

The Gerard Rochford Poetry Prize 2026 – organised by Rochford's Literary Executors in collaboration with the creative platform Mist and Mountain(UK) – invites writers to submit an original poem on the theme of 'Journey'.

The winner will receive £200 and a specially commissioned ceramic bowl featuring an excerpt of Gerard Rochford’s poetry, while two runners up will each receive small ceramic bowls and £50. The bowls have been handmade by Gerard’s daughter, ceramicist and painter, Lucy Carolan.

Award-winning poet, novelist, traditional storyteller and singer, Sheena Blackhall, who was a friend of Gerard, will judge the competition finalists.

Blackhall said: "I’m honoured to be asked to judge this competition. Gerard Rochford was a much loved and respected poet. But he was more than that. He was a mentor to many aspiring poets, giving freely of his wisdom and time - a rare thing indeed. He is much missed in the North East poetry community."

Brought up in Worcestershire, Gerard Rochford (1932 – 2019) lived most of his life in his adopted home city of Aberdeen, where he was a distinguished professor and psychotherapist. Poetry was a true vocation, and he was widely published in newspapers, influential online magazines, chapbooks and poetry collections. At the heart of Aberdeen’s vibrant poetry scene, Gerard was highly respected, not only for the quality of his own work, but for his generosity of spirit, mentoring and championing the work of nascent poets.

A regular visitor to Canada, home to his partner in later life, Rochford also established himself as a transatlantic poet and became an important and active part of the poetry scene in Victoria. Poetry was a lifelong labour of love but – as father to ten children with his wife Anne who died in 1991 - Gerard’s greatest joy was his family.

The inaugural Gerard Rochford Poetry Prize, held in 2021, attracted an impressive 736 entries from over 40 countries.

The closing date for entries to the Gerard Rochford Poetry Prize 2026 is 30 June and the winners will be announced on Wednesday 30 September 2026. The competition is free to enter. Full details and entry rules are available on the Mist and Mountain website and the Gerard Rochford Poetry page.

Summary for Social Media:

The international poetry competition, in memory of distinguished Aberdeen poet, Gerard Rochford returns on World Poetry Day, Sunday 21 March. Full entry details at Gerard Rochford Poetry Prize 2026.

Gerard Rochford - Biography

Gerard Rochford (17 December 1932 – 18 December 2019) was brought up in Worcestershire, England, educated at Hull and Oxford Universities but lived most of his life in Aberdeen, Scotland.

A distinguished professor and psychotherapist, poetry was a lifelong vocation. Gerard's poetry was widely published throughout his lifetime; from student newspapers to influential online magazines and many of his own chapbooks and collections. His extensive writings explored human relationships, wildlife and politics. 'Perhaps they are all one', he said.

At the heart of Aberdeen’s vibrant poetry scene, Gerard was the co-founder and leading light of the city’s poetry group which still thrives today, holding monthly poetry evenings at arts café, Books and Beans. Gerard was highly respected in the group, not only for the quality of his own work, but for his generosity of spirit and time, mentoring, editing and championing the work of nascent poets.

A regular visitor to Canada, he established himself as a transatlantic poet and became an important and active part of the poetry scene in Victoria.

As Makar for Kenneth Roy’s respected online magazine Scottish Review , Gerard submitted a poem every month for six years. His poem My Father's Hand was chosen by the Scottish Poetry Library as one of the best poems of 2006.

Gerard lived in the west end of Aberdeen from 1963 until he died in 2019. Well-travelled and well read, he had an exceptionally broad hinterland to draw inspiration from for his work. Poetry was a lifetime labour of love but as father of ten children with his Anglo-Indian wife Anne (d.1991), Gerard’s greatest joy was his family.

INTERNATIONAL POETRY PRIZE RETURNS WITH HANDMADE AWARDS BY THE LATE POET'S DAUGHTER

The second international poetry competition in memory of distinguished Aberdeen poet Gerard Rochford offers entrants the chance to win unique handcrafted prizes created by the late poet’s daughter. The Gerard Rochford Poetry Prize 2026 invites free entries on the theme of ‘Journey’ and submissions have already been received from across the UK and Europe - and worldwide from Australia to Zambia.

Inspired by her father’s work and legacy, ceramicist and painter Lucy Carolan has created a series of distinctive ceramic bowls as competition prizes.

Rejecting more formal designs, Carolan used a hand-building technique to shape each piece, allowing the clay to form naturally: “I considered a structured form for the prizes but, after looking at the small hand-built pots my father made and exhibited at the Aberdeen Artists Exhibition, I decided hand building would be a more suitable method. This allows for a freer way to make the prizes, allowing the clay to find its own form with my guidance, in keeping with the theme of 'Journey' and the methods my father used."

The bowls are made from flax clay, with smooth interiors and rough, textured exteriors. Carolan incorporated brick dust from the Worcestershire plants nursery where her father grew up and applied copper oxide to accentuate cracks and grooves in the surface.

The main prize bowl features a line from Rochford’s poem Waterfall: “We follow paths but then we wander.” Two smaller bowls will be awarded to the runners-up.

Carolan, who studied in Aberdeen before attending Glasgow School of Art, said: “My favourite poems by my father are those where humans interact with the natural world. They are a reminder of how we are all part of nature. I often think of my father and the way his best poems came from a direct experience or feeling and I wanted that same sense of honesty in the pieces.

“Overall, I am pleased with how they look and feel, they suit the theme of journey, and they also sing beautifully when gently tapped. I hope the winners will feel that connection too.”

The overall competition winner, judged by Aberdeen writer Sheena Blackhall, will receive £200 along with the main ceramic prize, while two runners-up will each receive £50 and one of the smaller bowls.

Originally from Worcestershire, Gerard Rochford made Aberdeen his home and became a well-known figure in its poetry community. He was widely published and a frequent visitor to Canada, where he built strong literary connections. He died in 2019.

Further information:
Martin Shannon, Gerard Rochford Poetry Prize 2026
Tel: 07714 504088 Email: gerardrochfordpoetry@gmail.com

Nabin K. Chhetri, Director Mist and Mountain Creative Platform
Email: contact.mistandmountain@gmail.com

Photo: Ceramicist and painter, Lucy Carolan has created a series of distinctive ceramic bowls as competition prizes in honour of her late father, Gerard Rochford.