Matt Goodfellow awarded £1k CLiPPA for The Final Year

Matt Goodfellow has been awarded the 2024 CLiPPA (CLPE Poetry Award) for his verse novel, The Final Year, illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton (Otter-Barry Books).

Goodfellow received a trophy and a cheque for £1,000, and will be recorded for the National Poetry Archive.

The award was announced live by judge Liz Berry and presented by Barbara Hayes of the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) at the National Theatre’s Olivier Theatre.

Berry said: “The Final Year was our unanimous winner. A powerful, sensitive, verse-novel which perfectly captures the voices, energy and complex feelings of the Year 6 classroom. We admired its empathy and deft storytelling. We were all gripped by Nate’s journey and know young readers will be too."

A former primary school teacher, Goodfellow has featured on the CLiPPA shortlist every year since 2021.

The synopsis states: "The Final Year details Nate’s time in Year 6, an important time for any child, but particularly tough for Nate, especially when his little brother falls ill. Helped by his teacher Mr Joshua, and with the love of his family, chaotic though that is, Nate survives and thrives. His voice, with its Mancunian vernacular, is authentic, raw but humorous and unforgettable."

The awards show featured performances from Goodfellow and poets shortlisted for the award, including Kate Wakeling and Stephen Lightbown.

As well as celebrating poetry, the CLiPPA encourages schools to explore the shortlist with their pupils through its Shadowing Scheme, each year prompting poetry performances by children in classrooms across the country.

Children from Birmingham, Brent, Wandsworth, Birkenhead and Caterham, who were all winners in the CLiPPA Shadowing Scheme, performed live at the ceremony.