On April 13, the Reading Committee of the 2025 International Poetry Invention Award announced the results of its deliberations. In this fourth edition, 13 poetry collections in French and 6 in Creole were selected for the preliminary shortlist.
The committee members met remotely on Sunday, April 13, 2025, to evaluate 135 poetry collections submitted according to the award’s guidelines — including 110 in French and 25 in Creole.
The Reading Committee for this edition was composed of Catherine Boudet (Mauritius – La Réunion), Committee Chair; Juliette Combe-Latour (France); R. Gouin Jean-Marie (Haiti);
and Witensky Louvens (Haiti).
The committee noted strong participation from Creole-speaking communities, with entries coming from Saint Lucia, Trinidad, Mauritius, Dominica, Haiti, and Martinique. French-language submissions were received from various countries across continents, including: Canada, Comoros, Haiti, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Tunisia, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, West Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Belgium, France, Switzerland, and Egypt, whose poet Ashraf Aboul-Yazid was nominated for his collection A Street in Cairo, translated into French.
However, the committee regretted having to reject several entries due to failure to comply with the competition’s guidelines, such as the requirement of anonymity (including the absence of dedications), file format or size, or not adhering to the requested genre.
Preselected Collections – 4th Edition
In French (alphabetical order):
- Brisures d’éclats
- Couleurs de brume
- De la ville à la mer
- De Legba lo voie
- Humaine blessure radioactive
- Ici la peau de ton nom
- Journal de bord d’un amour mort
- La gloire est romaine
- Le soi se tiendra toujours exactement
- Le monde
- L’errance au bout de ma langue
- Par la mémoire des turbulences
- Parce que demain Sarah
- Une rue au Caire
In Creole (alphabetical order):
- An tet ka kabeche
- Degremnen solèy
- Enn dewar merwar
- Kafé Le Bonmatenn
- Mwen, ou ek Lanuit
- Penpenenn
The International Prize for Poetic Invention, now in its fourth edition, has announced the winners of its prestigious awards for 2025. The prize, which celebrates innovation in poetic expression in both French and Creole languages, is organized by Balisaille Association in collaboration with Caraïbéditions, and supported by the French Ministry of Culture and the City of Saint-Esprit.
This year’s Prize for Poetic Invention in the French language was awarded to Rolaphton Mercure from Haiti for his collection De Legba la voie. The collection stood out for its inventive language and deep cultural resonance.
The Jury Mention in the French language category went to Roberto Louis-Charles, also from Haiti, for his evocative work L’errance au bout de la langue, which captivated the panel with its poetic depth and linguistic experimentation.
In the Creole language category, two poets were honored with the Jury’s Encouragement Prize ; Kersley Chowrimotoo, known as Listoryin, from Mauritius, for his collection Enn Dewwar Memwar, recognized for its lyrical engagement with memory and identity and George Goddard from Saint Lucia, for Kafé Lé Bonmaten, praised for its vivid imagery and cultural authenticity.
The International Prize for Poetic Invention continues to serve as a vital platform for poetic innovation, linguistic diversity, and cultural dialogue.
