Ruth Padel

Poet and writer

Judge , 2012

Ruth is a poet, writer and Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the Zoological Society of London.

Her awards include first prize in the UK National Poetry Competition, the Cholmondeley Award from The Society of Authors, an Arts Council of England Writers' Award, and a British Council Darwin Now Research Award for her novel 'Where the Serpent Lives'.

She has published eight poetry collections, a novel and eight works of non-fiction, including several much-loved books on reading poetry. She is also a well-known radio broadcaster and recently presented 'Poetry Workshop', a landmark BBC Four series of programmes on writing poems. She is the great-great-granddaughter of Charles Darwin.