Three Irish poets have been selected to compete in two categories of a major British poetry competition.
Paul Muldoon and Ciaron Carson are among five poets competing for the Forward Prize for Best Collection, which is worth £10,000. They have been nominated for their latest works, Moy Sand And Gravel and Breaking News, respectively.
Completing the list of nominees are: Billy Collins for Nine Horses, Ian Duhig for The Lammas Hireling and Lavinia Greenlaw for Minsk.
Also nominated for a prize, though in a different category, is Listowel poet, John McAuliffe. His collection, A Better Life, has been shortlisted for the Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection, which is worth £5,000.
McAuliffe and Carson's collections are published by The Gallery Press. This is the second year running in which the Irish publisher has had the distinction of having nominations in two categories.
The Forward Prizes are the only major poetry prizes that honour both established and up-and-coming poets. There is also an award for Best Single Poem.
The nominees were selected from 127 poetry collections published in Britain and Ireland since the start of October, 2002.
If Muldoon wins, it will be the second major international prize for his acclaimed collection. In April, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for poetry. Among other awards he has won is The Irish Times Irish Literature Award for poetry, which he received in 1997.
Speaking from his home in Belfast, Ciaran Carson said that it was an honour to be nominated, but "at the end of the day, it's in the lap of the gods".
The winners in each category will be announced on October 8th, on the eve of Britain's National Poetry Day.