Two Magdalen students have been recognised by the Faculty of English for their outstanding achievements in creative writing.
Angus Barrett enjoyed exceptional success, winning both the Lord Alfred Douglas Memorial Prize and the Sir Roger Newdigate Prize.
He received the Lord Alfred Douglas Memorial Prize for his poem Second Sight. Awarded annually, the prize recognises the best sonnet or other poem of between 14 and 28 lines, written in English in contemporary diction and strict rhyming metre. You can read Second Sight on the Faculty of English website.
Angus was also awarded this year’s Sir Roger Newdigate Prize for his poem The Deposition of Harry Goodsir, Assistant Surgeon. The subject for the 2025–26 competition was ‘Conversation’. Established in memory of Sir Roger Newdigate, the prize is awarded annually for the best original composition in English verse of no more than 300 lines. You can read the winning poem on the Magdalen website.
In addition, Angus was highly commended in the 2026 Jon Stallworthy Poetry Prize.
Julian Kekulé was awarded this year’s prestigious Chancellor’s English Essay Prize for his essay, That Fluttering Stranger, written in response to the 2025–26 essay title, ‘Second Sense’.
You can read more about Julian’s award on the Magdalen website.