The winner of the UK’s major award for published poetry for children, the CLiPPA (CLPE Children’s Poetry Award) was announced this afternoon at a ceremony at the National Theatre on London’s Southbank watched live by thousands of primary school children.

This year’s CLiPPA has been won by Colette Hiller for her collection Colossal Words for Kids, illustrated by Tor Freeman. In Colossal Words for Kids, Hiller defines in rhyme 75 ‘colossal’ words that children can use in their everyday lives, from capacious to voracious, procrastinate to zest.

A former actor and BBC producer, Hiller believes that children are natural wordsmiths, who love knowing and using big words and of her winning collection says, “My real aim is to spark a lasting joy of language. When we teach young children ambitious words, we show them that they are not intruders and that the English language is theirs for the taking.”

What the Judges Had to Say

Poet Roger McGough, chair of this year’s judges, says, “Colossal Words for Kids was a favourite with all the judges. It’s indisputably original and ambitious, with rhymes that demand to be spoken aloud. It’s also proof that learning big words needn’t be even faintly... soporific!”

Colossal Words for Kids was one of five books on a shortlist that reflects the vitality of the UK’s poetry publishing for children. Also shortlisted were a playful joint collection from John Agard and JonArno Lawson, pet poems by Brian Bilston, rhymes for the very young by previously shortlisted Jane Newberry, and a debut collection by Oliver Sykes describing his own childhood experiences.

The CLiPPA Poetry Show at the Lyttelton Theatre featured performances from Colette Hiller as well as John Agard, Brian Bilston, Jane Newberry and Oliver Sykes and, via video link from his home in Toronto, JonArno Lawson. Former Children’s Laureate Chris Riddell illustrated proceedings live.

Jonathan Douglas, Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust, CLPE’s parent organisation, opened the event and said, “Children love poetry - reading, writing and performing it, as today’s CLiPPA ceremony demonstrates. We’re delighted to celebrate another outstanding shortlist and winner and to do so at the National Theatre and in the company of so many excited, enthusiastic young poetry fans. There’s no award quite like the CLiPPA!”

As well as spotlighting the best new poetry for children, the CLiPPA encourages schools to explore the shortlist with their pupils through its Shadowing Scheme and over 400 schools took part this year. Primary school children from Birmingham, Bradford, Croydon, Woodford Green and Bishop’s Stortford, winners in the CLiPPA Shadowing Scheme, also performed live at the ceremony on the Lyttleton Theatre stage alongside the poets. On the day of the ceremony, the performing schools enjoyed performance skills workshops delivered by the National Theatre to support them in their preparations to perform on the Lyttelton stage.

An audience of 800 watched the event live in the Lyttelton Theatre, while hundreds of schools across the country joined in watching the CLiPPA Award Ceremony via Livestream.

Darren Matthews, Primary Advisory Teacher at CLPE said, “Congratulations to Colette Hiller, whose effervescent, scintillating and riveting verse has prompted poetry performances by thousands of children in hundreds of classrooms across the UK via our Shadowing scheme, while introducing them to the delights of onomatopoeia, alliteration, hyperbole and many other colossal words. Like Colette, at CLPE we believe that poetry is fundamental to children’s love of language and are delighted to celebrate her book and all our shortlist today in such gregarious, jovial style!”

The Prize

Colette Hiller receives a trophy and a cheque for £1000.

For more information on the full shortlist, see our feature The Year’s Best Poetry for Children: CLiPPA shortlist 2025

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