Esther Lay is a priest, poet, and classical singer living in Oxfordshire. She is a 2025 Forward Prize nominee for her winning poem in the East Riding Festival of Words Poetry Prize and winner of the 2024 Write By The Sea Poetry Prize. In 2025 she placed second in the Write Out Loud Poetry Competition and was shortlisted in the Plaza Prizes, Shelley Memorial Prize, and Ironbridge Prize. She has recent work in Waxed Lemon, Ghost Furniture Catalogue, Grain Magazine, and Thimble Lit Mag.