The Radcliffe Camera and All Souls College, viewed from the University Church of St Mary the Virgin.
The Radcliffe Camera and All Souls College, viewed from the University Church of St Mary the Virgin.

Image credit: @oxfotography on Instagram

Three candidates in contention as Oxford elects next Professor of Poetry

Three candidates will stand for election as Oxford University seeks to appoint a new Professor of Poetry.

Voting will open on Thursday 23 May and close on Thursday 20 June. The result will be announced the following day. The candidates’ supporting statements will be published online when the ballot opens.

The successful candidate will succeed Simon Armitage, the UK’s next Poet Laureate, who became Oxford’s 45th Professor of Poetry when he was elected in 2015.

The candidates standing for election, having previously gained the support of 50 nominating members of Convocation, are:

  • Andrew McMillan
  • Alice Oswald
  • Todd Swift

A new Professor of Poetry is elected every four years, and their responsibilities include giving a public lecture each term, as well as an oration at the University’s honorary degree ceremony, Encaenia, every other year.

Voting will be open to members of Convocation, a group that includes a quarter of a million Oxford graduates who have had their degree formally conferred, and several thousand members of staff who make up the University’s ‘parliament’, known as Congregation.

The result of the election will be announced on Friday 21 June. All those with a right to vote who intend to do so must register via the election website.