
Basharat Hussain Memorial Prize
The prize commemorates the life and work of Basharat Hussain
who arrived from Pakistan into West Yorkshire aged 14.
He began working in the textile mills to support his family,
walking miles each night checking the looms in the weaving sheds for thread breakages.
Then by day he worked in the family corner shop.
Throughout it all he wrote poetry.
This prize has been donated anonymously to commemorate a life
cut short by the pandemic,
and to celebrate the human spirit's luminosity through poetry.
The donation of £500 is seed funding for an annual award.
If the value of entries exceeds £500, the value of the prize
will increase accordingly for the subsequent year.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS PRIZE IS CURRENTLY UNDER REVIEW AND WE ARE NOT ACCEPTING ENTRIES. PLEASE CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES.