Women Poets' prize reveals first three winners

Honorees include Claire Collison, whose works include a performance piece about female beauty that she performs with her mastectomy scars revealed

A breast cancer survivor who performs a monologue with her mastectomy scars exposed in order to address attitudes towards female beauty is among three recipients of the inaugural Women Poets’ prize. The award aims to celebrate the empowerment of women and reward “creatively ambitious practitioners who are making or are capable of making a significant contribution to the UK poetry landscape”.

Claire Collison, who moved to writing poetry and prose after working for 30 years as a visual artist, was awarded the prize alongside New Zealand-born Nina Mingya Powles and London-based Anita Pati.