Young poetry winners’ poems displayed in Chiswick Waterstones

Last Saturday, Chiswick Book Festival was buzzing not only with book enthusiasts, but lots of very excited young poets: it was the prize-giving for the Young People’s Poetry Competition 2013.

The competition, for children aged 8-13 years, has gone from strength to strength since starting in 2011. This year 186 entries were received from 13 local primary and secondary schools. Alongside regulars including Orchard House School, Chiswick and Bedford Park Preparatory School, Southfield School and St Augustine’s Priory, the competition welcomed entries from West London Free School, Cavendish Primary School and St Mary’s R.C. school.

The poems were rich and varied, encompassing topics from nature and landscape, the sorrows of the First World War, to more intimate portraits of child experience. Prizes were awarded, within each of the five year groups for ages 8-13.

Once again, The Walt Disney Company sponsored the event, kindly donating generous goody bags for each winner and ChiswickW4.com provided the certificates.

Prior to the prize-giving, the first prize winners and many of the other young competition poets attended a workshop run by Andrew Day of The Philosophy Foundation. His most recent book ‘Thoughtings’, co-authored with Peter Worley, is a collection of “poems to stimulate young minds into thinking big things by way of puzzles, problems and paradoxes”.

Andy helped participating adults and children to think through philosophical points and together they created a group poem comprising all their thoughts about rain. And very different ideas they had too. All this made for a really interesting morning’s poetry.

Torin Douglas, Chiswick Book Festival Director announced the winners alongside Nicola Kelly the competition Co-ordinator and jury member, Carol Douglas local English teacher and jury member and James Priestman Jury Leader, whilst Andrew Day handed out the prizes.

The team look forward to receiving more great poems for the competition in 2014. Poems can be written throughout the year, on any subject, before the June 2014 deadline (for more details see The Chiswick Book Festival website later in the year). With National Poetry Day just around the corner on Thursday 3 October , there is no time like the present to pick up your pen and get writing.

The winners of the Chiswick Book Festival Young People’s Poetry Competition 2013 are listed below. The first prize winning poems will be available to read on the Chiswick Book Festival website later this year, or go read them at the display in Chiswick Waterstones.

Year 3

- First Prize

‘Wolf Man’ Saifan Rezwan Butt

- Second Prize

‘The Football Team’ Felix Schaap

- Joint Third Prize winners

‘When is your poetry birthday?’ Honor McDonald ‘The Skipping Monster’ Tabitha Whiston

-Commendation

‘If I had a Wand’ Emily O’Connor

Year 4

- First Prize ‘Wanted’ Xanthe Edmondson

- Second Prize ‘Antarctica’ Alistair Overend

- Third Prize ‘World War Two (Dunkirk)’ Ella Johnson

Commendation ‘Venice’ Monty Hunt

Year 5

- First Prize

‘The Stallions of the Sea' Freya Schaap

- Second Prize

‘Picnic’ Bella Georgiadis

- Third Prize

‘Anyone for tennis? ‘Sophie Harwood

-Commendation

‘Mean Teachers’ Katia Mazalova

‘Rose without a Thorn’ Ella Sheddick

Year 6

- First Prize

‘Meeting my Father’ Dorelia Dodd

- Second Prize

‘Memories’ Rosie Bowyer

- Third Prize

‘Wind’ Emily Davie

-Commendation

‘Arctic Wolves’ (Haiku) Harper Lake  

‘The Music Room’ Blaise McNestry

Year 7

- First Prize ‘ Loss’ Katrina Richardson

- Second Prize ‘Heartbeat’ Rosa Maria Lyne-Hall

- Third Prize ‘The Way I Look At Life’ Jez Carr

Year 7

- Commendations

-  ‘The Unwanted’ Victoria Ward

-‘Estates, a pub perspective’ Thierry Hall

September 22, 2013