By Jim Corah
The Kirkstall Art Trail Poetry Competition has announced its inaugural winners in the national and Leeds categories.
Matthew Davenport’s In The Same Room won the national prize while Alex Callaghan’s Chippy Tea won the Leeds prize.
Both poems will be included alongside the other eight finalists in a booklet collection available during Kirkstall Art Trail and the Painting With Words spoken word event taking place between 7pm-9pm on Saturday 18 July, 2026 at the Cardigan Arms, Kirkstall Road.
Jim Corah, competition judge and Treasurer for the volunteer-organised Kirkstall Art Trail, said: “All of the submitted poems were inspiring in a way I hadn’t anticipated when Kirkstall Art Trail launched the competition.
“Covering both the local Leeds scene and the national poetry scene, the quality and variety demonstrated by the entries was amazing and awesome and encouraging for the art form.”
Matthew is a Lancashire poet who “writes about the emotions we recognise but rarely know how to name, exploring love, loss, grief, mental health and the quiet work of surviving them.” Alex is a non-binary poet from Yorkshire, organisers of outdoor poetry event Bone Down, and author of the collection For All The Winter Through.
Kirkstall Art Trail Poetry Competition received funding from the Leeds City Council’s Community Committee, who also funded other aspects of Kirkstall Art Trail 2026. Separately Point North have funded other projects including the fashion show and the photography competition.
IG accounts matthewdavenport.poetry and poetry_ditties.
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