Ailbhe Darcy first took to the stage to collect the Roland Mathias Poetry Award, before returning to be crowned winner of the overall title Wales Book of the Year 2019 and receiving a total prize of £4,000 and a specially commissioned trophy, designed and created by the artist Angharad Pearce Jones. The prize was presented to Ailbhe by Professor Elizabeth Treasure, Vice-Chancellor of Aberystwyth University.
The Wales Arts Review People’s Choice Prize was awarded to Jonathan Edwards, who captured the imagination of the reading public with his poetry collection, Gen (Seren). This is the second Wales Arts Review People’s Choice Prize win for Jonathan, who also took home the prize in 2015.
Celebrating books across three categories in both English and Welsh – poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction, the ceremony saw 10 winners take to the stage to claim a total prize fund of £12,000.
For more information about the winners of each category and their amazing work, head to the Literature Wales website.
