Huw Edwards has faced criticism for entering a Welsh National Eisteddfod poetry competition, with a sex abuse survivor stating his participation and potential win would have been "catastrophic." The presenter's poem was ranked in the third grouping of entries by the judging panel, a system used to categorize submissions.
Sera Cracroft, a survivor who has spoken publicly about her own experience, expressed concern over Edwards' decision to enter the competition, particularly given the nature of the offences for which he was found guilty. "It's very important for us to realise, as the digital world expands, so does the abuse of children, and Huw was found guilty of accessing paedophilia," Cracroft stated. She believes Edwards should engage with survivors to better understand the impact of such crimes.
Cracroft also called for the Eisteddfod to review its entry rules, which permit poets to compete under pseudonyms. The National Eisteddfod confirmed that it has a process in place to ensure anonymity during judging and conducts an appraisal of its procedures after each event.
In a statement, Edwards described his poem as a tribute to his father and asserted that he did not anticipate winning. He also stated that his sentence would become spent on September 16. He previously wrote on his Substack that he felt "abhorrence" toward the offenses he admitted to, and in an entry titled "On Hatred," he stated, "my crime was to click on files sent to me by someone else."
Edwards also addressed Cracroft's criticisms directly, saying, "This wasn't a poem for the sickeningly self-righteous Welsh speakers - Sera amongst them - who take advantage of every opportunity to speak unthinkingly on every subject under the sun." He further commented on what he perceived as their willingness to ignore the effects of mental ill health, aligning this with the heritage of London's tabloid papers.
Edwards' previous Substack posts had drawn criticism from child sexual abuse campaigners. He admitted to his offenses and stated that his sentence would become spent on September 16. He also clarified that he is "not a child rapist."