THE Scottish poet Kathleen Jamie is in the running for the most prestigious poetry prize in the UK.

Ms Jamie has been shortlisted for the 2012 TS Eliot Prize for her book The Overhaul.

The poet, from Currie, near Edinburgh, has published several collections, including an anthology in 2002, and won the Forward Prize in 2004 for The Tree House.

She faces strong competition for the award, with fellow shortlisted poets including Simon Armitage, Sean Borodale, Gillian Clarke and Julia Copus.

Carol Ann Duffy, the current poet laureate and chairman of the judges, said: "In a year which saw a record number of submissions, my fellow judges and I are delighted with a shortlist which sparkles with energy, passion and freshness and which demonstrates the range and variety of poetry being published in the UK."

The TS Eliot Prize for Poetry was inaugurated in 1993 to celebrate the Poetry Book Society's 40th birthday and honour its founding poet. The winner receives £15,000 and each of the shortlisted poets receives £1000.

Last year's winner of the TS Eliot Prize was Scottish poet John Burnside for his collection Black Cat Bone.

Ms Jamie is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and in 2010 was appointed chairman of creative writing at Stirling University.