2014 CBC Poetry Prize: And the winner is...

The Grand Prize winner is David Martin of Calgary, Alberta. His poem "Tar Swan" was selected from more than 2,500 works received from across the country. Congratulations David!

The jury for this year's prize was composed of writers Roy Miki, Rachel Rose and Katherena Vermette. They described his poem as follows:

"Both traditional and innovative, 'Tar Swan' is an astonishing sequence of sonnets, with a rhythm that evokes the roots and muscular cadences of Old English, and simultaneously manages to be a fierce re-invention of the form. Through its daring, and brilliantly challenging, use of diction, syntax and imagery, it embodies the best of contemporary experimental verse. 'Tar Swan' urgently speaks to central concerns of our time, particularly here in Canada: the consequences of coal and oil extraction, environmental degradation, and our responsibility to the natural world."

As Grand Prize winner, Martin will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, and his prize-winning poem will be published in the October edition of Air Canada's enRoute magazine. He will also receive a two-week writing residency at The Banff Centre and will be celebrated at the International Festival of Authors in Toronto as part of the Poet Summit on October 25, 2014.

The French Grand Prize winner was also announced: Marc-Andr Moutquin of Montreal, QC won for "L'apptit des astres."