DARK HUMOUR, BITTER IRONY
RESULTS
We are pleased to share the results of Dark Humour, Bitter Irony, our latest Dark Poets Club mini challenge.
With over 1,650 submissions from 27 countries, the response to this challenge was exceptional and reflected the wide range of ways poets approach humour, irony and darker subject matter.
The submissions explored satire, absurdity, self-awareness, grief, discomfort, social observation and the strange contradictions that often sit beneath humour. The strongest poems showed a clear understanding of tone, using irony and wit with control, originality and purpose.
Judging was highly competitive. Many poems stood out for their voice, structure, intelligence and impact, which made the final selection process particularly difficult. As with any of our competitions, the aim was not only to identify one winning poet, but also to recognise a wider group of writers whose work strongly captured the theme, amongst out Shortlisted + Honourable Mention selection, below, who will also be published.
❗ If your name is not included within the results, please do not feel disheartened. With over 2,000 submissions, many strong poems could not be included in the final selection. The results reflect a very competitive field and a careful editorial process.
Thank you to every poet who entered and shared their work with us. Your submissions made this a memorable and highly engaging challenge for Dark Poets Club.
Scroll for the full book of results. 🖤
Yours in darkness,
Dark Poets Club Editorial Team
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to celebrate the poets selected for this challenge as well as announcements for the 5th edition of the Dark Poets Prize.
WINNER
S.D GOULD
S.D Gould has been selected as the winner of Dark Humour, Bitter Irony for
'Back Row at My Own Funeral' and 'Terms & Conditions'.
Both poems stood out for their confident handling of tone, combining dark humour with precision, originality and a strong sense of control. The writing captured the spirit of the challenge without over-explaining the humour or weakening the darker undertones beneath it.
'Back Row at My Own Funeral' showed a sharp awareness of voice and perspective, while 'Terms & Conditions' used structure and irony to strong effect. Together, the two poems demonstrated a distinctive approach to the theme and remained among the most memorable entries in the final stages of judging.
Congratulations to S.D Gould, winner of the Dark Humour, Bitter Irony mini challenge.
They have been contacted about the win, and we are awaiting their response
to receive their £500 prize, and provide comment. We will be sharing their pieces soon.
REDACTED WHILE WE
AWAIT POETS RESPONSE
SHORTLIST + HONOURABLE MENTION:
Congratulations to all the incredible poets that participated and to those who made it into our 'Shortlist' + 'Honourable Mentions', whose work has also been selected for publication on Dark Poets Club, (you will be contacted in due course):
FOR THOSE DIGITALLY SAVVY AND WISHING TO SHARE THEIR SHORTLIT OR HONOURABLE MENTION, FEEL FREE TO DOWNLOAD THE CLEAN IMAGE BELOW AND ADD YOUR NAME (BOLD FONT IS ANTON):
