A little-known poet based in northern Scotland has won the U.K.'s prestigious TS Eliot Prize for poetry.

British media reported an audible gasp from the gathered audience Monday night as Shetland-based Jen Hadfield, a relative newcomer on the scene, was announced as the winner at London's Skinner Hall.

The English-born poet and shopkeeper won the award, worth about $27,000 Cdn, for her second poetry collection Nigh-No-Place, which she wrote at home in Shetland and while travelling across Canada.

British poet laureate Andrew Motion, who chaired this year's jury, praised the 30-year-old Hadfield.

"Nigh-No-Place shows that she is a remarkably original poet near the beginning of what is obviously going to be a distinguished career," he said.

The evening was also tinged with some sadness as it was revealed that one of this year's shortlisted writers — well-known poet and Times Literary Supplement poetry editor Mick Imlah — had died after a long illness.

Established in 1993 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Poetry Book Society (founded by Eliot), the prize is considered among the highest honours for British poets. Past recipients have included Ted Hughes and Seamus Heaney, and each new winner typically benefits from a healthy boost in profile and sales.