David Morley has won the £5,000 Ted Hughes award for new work in poetry for his collection The Invisible Gift, described by the judges as “a box of fireworks”. He was presented with the award by the poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, at a reception at the Savile Club, in London.

Judges Jackie Kay, Andrew McMillan and Ali Smith said: “‘The Invisible Gift is the perfect title for this collection, as it was simply a gift to read. Like opening a box of fireworks; something theatrical happens when you open its pages, and a curtain is raised on a tradition that has been overlooked.

“In these poems, David Morley switches forms and registers to reveal the versatility of the voices and the liveliness of the Romani culture, arguing for a tradition which has been invisible and silent. Ted Hughes wrote about the natural magical and mythical world; The Invisible Gift is a natural successor, as Morley has found a way to give a voice to the Romani people who live in that natural world. A lifetime’s work gathered into one Selected Poems, it becomes a cohesive new form in which old poems transform into something new.’

David Morley is an ecologist by background whose research focused on acid rain in the Lake District. His poetry collections, all from Carcanet, include The Gypsy and the Poet, Enchantment, The Invisible Kings and Scientific Papers. He teaches at Warwick University and is adjunct professor at Monash University, Melbourne.

Established in 2009 by Carol Ann Duffy, the £5,000 prize is organised by the Poetry Society, and is funded with the annual honorarium the poet laureate traditionally receives from the Queen. Previous winners have included Andrew Motion for his radio performance Coming Home in 2014, Maggie Sawkins for her performance Zones of Avoidance in 2013, and Kate Tempest, for her spoken word piece Brand New Ancients in 2012.

PHOTOGRAPH: GRAEME OXBY

Background: Ted Hughes award shortlist revealed