Professor Dame Carol Ann Duffy, Director of Manchester Met’s Manchester Writing School and former poet laureate, has been presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Educate North Awards 2025.
Hailed as a ‘literary icon’ by the judges, Prof Duffy was awarded the honour at the 11th annual awards evening on April 3 for her lifetime of contributions which have shaped modern poetry, inspired generations of students and enriched the world of education.
Speaking at the ceremony, Prof Duffy said: “It is a great honour to be gifted this lifetime achievement award by Educate North. One of the greatest pleasures of my working life has been teaching here in Manchester, at Manchester Metropolitan University, and having the privilege of meeting and working with the next generation of poets, and teachers of poetry, year after year.
“It has been a joy to celebrate, nurture and champion talent from across our city and region, and to reach out and share that with the wider world, meeting and supporting new poets, from visits to primary schools and community groups to celebrating the publications and prize wins of our students along the way.”
Presenting her with the award, Mark Power, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Liverpool John Moores University, said: “Carol Ann’s dedication to education extends beyond her own writing. As Professor of Contemporary Poetry and Creative Director of the Manchester Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University, she has mentored and nurtured countless aspiring poets, ensuring that creativity and critical thinking remain at the heart of learning.
“It is with great admiration and gratitude that we honour this extraordinary poet, teacher, and literary trailblazer.”
As an acclaimed poet, playwright and writer, Prof Duffy was poet laureate of the UK from 2009 until 2019 and, alongside teaching poetry at Manchester Met, she is creative director of city-wide, national and international literary projects.
Among the many awards she’s won over the decades are the Signal Prize for Children’s Verse, the Whitbread, Forward and T.S. Elliot Prizes and the Lannan and E.M. Forster Prize in America.
Alongside becoming a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1999, she was awarded an OBE in 1995, a CBE in 2001 and DBE in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to poetry.
Her poetry collections include Mean Time, Love Poems and The Bees, which won the Costa Poetry Award, and her writing for children includes Queen Munch and Queen Nibble, The Skipping Rope and The Tear Thief.
The Educate North Awards are the north’s most prestigious education awards highlighting world class achievements across the university, HE, FE and sixth form sectors in the north of England.
Other Manchester Met winners at this year’s awards included Manchester Law School who took home Law School of the Year, an award that recognised exceptional performance and outstanding achievements during 2024-25.
