Sandeep Kumar Mishra Wins Abanti Chayer Adda Poetry Competition as His Literary Year Gathers Momentum
Poet Sandeep Kumar Mishra wins the Abanti Chayer Adda Poetry Competition as his literary profile continues to grow in 2026.
Renowned poet and author Sandeep Kumar Mishra has won the Shree Abanti Chayer Adda Poetry Competition 2026, adding another significant achievement to an already remarkable year in poetry.
Mishra’s winning entry was selected in the annual competition organised in collaboration between Unity 101 Community Radio and Winchester Poetry Festival, with this year’s theme being “Celebration.” The competition welcomed poems in both English and Bengali and brought together writers from different cultural and literary backgrounds.
The latest victory comes alongside another notable 2026 achievement: Mishra has also been shortlisted for Canterbury Poet of the Year 2026, further strengthening his growing presence within the British poetry scene.
The competition’s entries were judged by acclaimed Hampshire poet Damian Kelly-Basher, while the Bengali poems were judged by poet, writer and teacher Susmita Bhattacharya.
The organisers described the competition as a celebration of poetry’s ability to bring people together across cultures and backgrounds. The winners were announced during the Chayer Adda programme presented by Abanti Chakrabarty Mukhopadhyay, with the judges and Jane Bryant, Chair of Trustees, taking part in the special celebration.
For Mishra, the latest recognition adds to a long and unusually international literary journey.
He began writing more than three decades ago, with his first published contribution appearing in a major Hindi newspaper in 1992, while he was still in school. Despite difficult personal and financial circumstances, he continued writing poetry and stories, gradually building a body of work that would eventually reach readers and publications across continents.
Mishra has published around 25 books, with his writing translated into more than 22 languages and appearing in literary publications in countries including the United States, Brazil, Ireland, Australia, Nigeria and India.
His books span poetry, short fiction, children's literature and autobiographical writing. One Heart–Many Breaks, his poetry collection explores the journey from a younger self towards a more mature and reflective identity. His story collection Dead Dreams has also received international literary recognition, while The Jungle Saga, his ten-book animal fable series, has added a children's-literature dimension to his work.
Over the years, Mishra has received and been associated with numerous literary awards, honours and international shortlists in UK like Wells Story Prize, Westerwood Story Award, Wenlock Olympian Society Story Award, Decadent Serpent Award, Page Turner Award, Frome Festival Story Award, Hammond House Poetry Award, Desmond O’grady Award, Fish Poetry Award, Plough Poetry Prize etc.
Yet the latest UK developments give his 2026 literary journey a distinctive new chapter. Winning the Shre Abanti Chayer Adda competition and reaching the shortlist for Canterbury Poet of the Year place Mishra among writers receiving fresh recognition within Britain's contemporary poetry community.
For a writer whose work has travelled across languages and continents, the two latest milestones offer a fitting continuation of a career built on one enduring idea: that poetry can transform personal experience into something that connects with people far beyond the circumstances in which it was written.
In a year already marked by new literary milestones, Sandeep Kumar Mishra is continuing to turn his decades-long writing journey into a distinctly international story.
Connect With Sandeep Kumar Mishra
Readers interested in exploring more of Sandeep Kumar Mishra’s literary work, publications, and ongoing creative journey can visit his official website at sandeepkumarmishra.com. They can also follow his latest updates, literary activities, and creative work through his Facebook page and Instagram profile.
