# Sarah Howe takes Forward prize for collection exploring family history

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/sarah-howe-wins-forward-poetry-prize-for-best-collection/
- Published: 2026-10-29T16:32:12+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-29T17:17:32+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/oct/29/sarah-howe-wins-forward-poetry-prize-for-best-collection
- Topics: Americas, Culture, World

## Key points

- Sarah Howe wins £10,000 for *Foretokens*.
- Nur Turkmani takes the first collection prize.
- Tara Bergin and Biff Smith win poem awards.

## Summary

Sarah Howe has won the Forward prize for best collection, receiving £10,000 for *Foretokens*, her second book of poems. The collection explores new parenthood, her father’s death and her mother’s early life in Hong Kong, and its recognition places Howe among winners of one of the UK’s major poetry awards.

Three other poets also received prizes: Nur Turkmani won £5,000 for best first collection, while Tara Bergin and Biff Smith each received £1,000 for a written poem and a performance poem respectively. *Foretokens* was shortlisted for the 2025 TS Eliot prize; Howe’s debut, *Loop of Jade*, won that prize a decade ago. The Forward prizes were established in 1992.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.