There were six shortlisted entrants in 2004.

• Heather Routledge (UK), "Verses on the Death of Democracy"
• Brian Gogarty (Northern Ireland), "Election Fight (2003)"
• Liam P.F. O'Connell (USA), "Epistle to Dr Swift, Beyond the Grave"
• Anne Spencer (Canada), "Verses on Folly, Faith and Fantasy"
• Brian ó'Brogáin (Ireland), "On Publishing, A Rhapsody"
• Noel Monahan (Ireland), "A Ghostly Letter, from Sheridan to Swift"
• Fintan O'Higgins (Ireland), "A Satire on Tropes"

"These poems demonstrated an ability to combine technical skills of a high order with imaginative energy. They all showed a clear appreciation of Swift's satirical and ironical manner, and an ability to adapt it to new and different situations and characters. The best poems also showed that the ability to rhyme, while it is the most obvious feature of this kind of verse, is only one of several elements which create the overall effect". (Professor McMinn, Ulster University, Judge)