Team inspired poetry competition wins national award

The Hippocrates Prize for Poetry and Medicine has been named winner of the Award for Excellence and Innovation in the Arts by the Times Higher Education.

Co-founded by Professor Donald Singer, from Warwick Medical School, and Michael Hulse, from the University of Warwick’s English and Comparative Literary Studies department, the Hippocrates Prize is now in its third year.

Professor Singer said: “This Award is a tribute to the remarkable enthusiasm and generosity of staff at the University, our external supporters and partner organisations, and to the many members of the public, health professionals, poets and academics in the UK and internationally who have engaged in our evolving poetry and medicine initiative.”
With a first prize of £5,000 the Hippocrates Prize is one of the highest value poetry awards for the a single poem in the world. Second place in each category is awarded £1,000, third £500 and 20 commendations each receive £50.

In the previous two years the Hippocrates Prize has attracted more than 3,000 entries from 31 countries, from the Americas to Fiji, and from Finland to Australasia.

The prize is split into two categories; the Open category, which anyone in the world can enter; and the NHS category, which is open to UK National Health Service personal, health students and whose working in professional organisations involved in education and training of NHS student and staff.

Poems have to be based on a broad medical theme, which could include the nature of the body and anatomy; history, evolution, current and future state of medical science; nature and experience of tests; experience of doctors, nurses and other medical staff in hospitals and in the community.

Other topics might include experience of patients, families, friends and carers; experiences of acute and long-term illness, dying, birth, cure and convalescence; the patient journey; the nature and experience of treatment with herbs, chemicals and devices used in medicine.

And this year BBC broadcaster Martha Kearney has been announced as the third and final judge for this year’s competition.

The BBC Radio 4 presenter joins New York poet and critic Marilyn Hacker and medical scientist Professor Rod Flower FRS on the judging panel of the competition, which is in its third year.

Entries for this year’s prize are now open, with the deadline set for 31st January.

The winner’s of the prize will be announced at the International Symposium of Poetry and Medicine at the Wellcome Collection rooms, in London, on May 12th 2012.