Young poet from Kenilworth named as one of the best in the world

A young poet from Kenilworth has been picked out for an award among thousands of writers from across the world.

Daniel Wale, aged 15, was named in the top 15 winners of the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2020 out of 6,791 young poets who entered from 118 countries.

The King Edward VI grammar school pupil has also been commended in the Stratford Literary Festival's Felix Dennis Young Poets Prize and won the High Steward of Stratford Cup for poetry.

This year's Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award - which has been finding, celebrating and supporting the very best young poets from around the world since 1998 - was a virtual ceremony due to the coronavrus restrictions.

A staggering 15,966 poems from 6,791 young poets were entered from toung writers across 118 countries.

From these poems, this year’s judges Keith Jarrett and Maura Dooley selected 100 winners, made up of 15 top poets and 85

commended poets.

Daniel said: "I was amazed to hear that I was one of the winners this year, as I know just how competitive Foyle Young Poets can be.

"This is especially meaningful to me as this competition was one of the things that first inspired me to write poetry and after four years of participating in the competition, it felt unbelievable to get a phone call saying I had won.

"I hope this will give me the confidence to keep writing and sharing my poetry with others.

"I am looking forwards to the opportunity of mentoring later this year as I can't wait to hear how I can keep improving my work."