Inaugural €7,000 award in partnership with Poetry Ireland / Éigse Éireann supports the creation of new poetic work through cross-disciplinary engagement
Facilitated by Business to Arts in partnership with PFGi and Poetry Ireland / Éigse Éireann, the bursary and commission reflect a shared belief that engineering and poetry, while often viewed as distinct disciplines, are both grounded in imagination, structure, and the shaping of ideas into form.
Grace Wells is an award-winning eco-poet and environmental writer. Nature, spirit-of- place, and the complexities of ecological crisis are the large themes of her writing. Grace has published three books of poetry with Dedalus Press, most recently in 2022, ’The Church of the Love of the World,’ which was shortlisted for the Farmgate Café National Poetry Award and the Laurel Prize. Grace is one of the co-creators of Hometree’s eco- arts project, ‘Dinnseanchas’, which is working to support community resilience in Ireland’s upland communities, and to restore temperate woodland landscapes across the West coast.
Following a competitive open call process, Grace was selected by an expert panel of poets and engineering professionals, with the commissioned work to be developed over the coming months and a public unveiling anticipated in early 2027.
“ I'm honoured and deeply grateful to PFGi, Poetry Ireland and Business to Arts for this generous bursary. I'm interested in how imagination, close attention, language and story can weave together with science, technology and industry as we respond creatively to the ecological and social challenges of our time and try our best to shape more resilient and meaningful futures for the entire community of life.”
“ At PFGi, we believe innovation is driven not only by technical excellence but also by curiosity, creativity and the ability to see challenges from new perspectives. We are delighted to partner with Poetry Ireland / Éigse Éireann on this award and to congratulate Grace Wells as its inaugural recipient. We hope this commission will inspire fresh conversations about the connections between engineering and creativity, and we look forward to working with Grace on the final commissioned piece.”
