Southwark, London Jun 11, 2025 (Issuewire.com) - Filipino poet Ryan Caidic has been awarded the first-ever International Poetry Prize at the inaugural Bermondsey Literary Festival, a new celebration of literary excellence across the London Borough of Southwark.
The festival, which seeks to elevate both local voices and global literary talent, culminated in a public reading and awards ceremony held at Canada Water Library, one of Southwark’s central cultural hubs. Caidic’s winning poem, “Rules for Leaving,” was selected from hundreds of submissions, standing out for its poignant meditation on loss, cultural ritual, and the structured ways grief is expressed and contained across traditions.
The Bermondsey Literary Festival, in its inaugural year, aims to spotlight the creative vibrancy of Southwark and beyond, offering a platform for new and established voices to share their work in poetry.
Ryan Caidic is a widely published Filipino poet whose work has appeared in numerous literary journals, often dealing with themes of diaspora and identity.. His debut collection, 50 Ways Home, is forthcoming from Fernwood Press (US) in 2026.
Check out the other winning works from the Bermondsey Literary Festival here: https://www.biglocalworks.org.uk/literary-festival-bermondsey-and-beyond/
Media Contact
Ryan Caidic *****@gmail.com http://ryancaidic.com
