Guto Dafydd was born in Pwllheli and began winning prizes for both poetry and prose in local competitions while he was still a pupil at Ysgol Uwchradd Glan y Mor.[2] In 2013, the year before his first National Eisteddfod win, he won the Urdd National Eisteddfod Crown.
Guto Dafydd has a wife named Lisa and two children, Casi Mallt and Nedw Lludd. He works for the Welsh Language Commissioner.[3] In 2015 he was diagnosed with fibromatosis, which resulted in his having to undergo radiotherapy;[4] he used this experience in his novel, Ymbelydredd, which won the Daniel Owen Prize (Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen) in the following year.[3]
When he was awarded the crown in 2014, he became one of the youngest ever winners.[1] His second win was in 2019,[5] when he performed a double by also winning the Daniel Owen Prize for Carafanio.[6][7]
