Young Poetry Winners’ Poems displayed in Chiswick Waterstones

The winning poems of the Chiswick Book Festival Young People’s Poetry Competition 2012 are now on display in the window of Chiswick Waterstones.

The competition, which aims to encourage children and teens to write poems, was once again a great success. 178 pupils from 14 schools, across Chiswick and West London, entered poems. Prizes were awarded within each of the six year groups comprised in the age range 8-13 years.

This year, organisers were delighted to welcome Disney Junior and The Poetry Society on board as sponsors for the Competition. Disney Junior and the Poetry Society recently launched a poetry guide for parents and children aged 2 – 7. The guide accompanied the season two premiere of Disney Junior’s local production A Poem Is... featuring well loved poems set to iconic Disney animation and narrated by British talent, such as local resident Richard Briers, CBE. The guide is designed to introduce a younger generation to the wonders of poetry and is available at Disney.co.uk.

Disney Junior provided special goody bags for all the winning children, which were presented at a special prize-giving at the Chiswick Book Festival on Saturday 15 th September.

Children’s poet, Chris White, awarded the prizes and Chiswick Book Festival certificates (donated by Chiswick w4.com) to the winners, as part of the Children’s Poetry Extravaganza. This was followed by a free creative poetry workshop, attended by the winning school children and other budding young poets aged 8-13 years.

Disney Junior also ran a free poetry workshop at the Festival for children and toddlers aged 2-7 years, based on their series ‘A Poem Is’ and using Disney dragons and a rather wonderful dragon prop, as stimuli.

All in all, a great day for children’s poetry writing!

Organisers say they will definitely repeat the Competition again in 2013. “We hope this year’s spark of creativity will encourage more children to write poems over the next school year. With National Poetry Day coming up on October 4 th, there is no time like the present to pick up a pen and write.”

The winners of the Chiswick Book Festival Young People’s Poetry Competition are listed below.

Year 3

- First Prize ‘The Day and the Night’ by Olivia Brown ( Chiswick & Bedford Park School)

- Second Prize, joint winners: ‘Overheard on a stone at sea’ by Stella Stevens ( Southfield School) & ‘The Happy Eagle’ by Alistair Overend ( Orchard House School)

- Third Prize ‘Becoming a Dragon’ by Joshua Dembele ( Southfield School)

- Commendations

‘Aliens’ by Alexander Duguid ( Orchard House School)

‘Fear ‘by Sina Nilforoushan ( Orchard House School)

‘Fear’ by Monty Hunt ( Orchard House School)

Year 4

- First Prize ‘Story time’ by Rose Docherty ( Chiswick & Bedford Park School)

- Second Prize ‘The Soldier’s Life ‘by Oliver Collopy (St Mary’s RC School -individual entry)

- Third Prize ‘Peace’ by Jonathon Carbonel ( Southfield School)

- Commendations

‘Warriors’ by Sophie Koziell-Pipe ( Chiswick & Bedford Park School)

‘The Mysterious door’ by Ella Sheddick ( Chiswick & Bedford Park School)

Year 5

- First Prize ‘ The Trinity Contest’ by Georgina Phibbs ( Chiswick & Bedford Park School)

- Second Prize ‘ The Recipe for Great Friendship’ by Rose Lovejoy ( Orchard House School)

- Third Prize ‘Alone’ by Maya Lethbridge ( Chiswick & Bedford Park School)

- Commendations

‘Drought’ by Emily Perkins ( Chiswick & Bedford Park School)

‘If only I were a friend like you’ by Alice Jellinek ( Orchard House School)

Year 6 ( Chiswick & Bedford Park only entrants)

- First Prize ‘Lifeless Day’ by Edie Paskin ( Chiswick & Bedford Park School)

- Second Prize ‘Mirror of Life’ by Phoebe Proctor ( Chiswick & Bedford Park School)

• Third Prize, joint winners : ‘Eagle’ by Emma Chesney ( Chiswick & Bedford Park School) & ‘I Wish I Was in Alaska’ by Molly Key ( Chiswick & Bedford Park School)

- Commendation ‘The Seasons of a River’ by Camilla Rivaz ( Chiswick & Bedford Park School)

Year 7

- First Prize ‘Summer’byOscar Rivaz ( St Paul’s Boys’ School)

- Second Prize ‘Streets of Fulham’ by Kye Paisley- Nuyarko ( Chiswick School)

- Third prize: joint winners

- ‘Money’ by Zak Alam ( Latymer Upper School)

- ‘See and Sea’ by Liam Bulik ( Chiswick School)

- Commendations

- ‘Spring Poem - Summer’s Report’ by Grace Lozinski ( St Augustine’s Priory)

- ‘Valentine ‘by Emma Lyons ( St Augustine’s Priory)

- ‘The Longest Sleep’ by Reagan Readinger ( Godolphin & Latymer School)

Year 8

- First Prize ‘Tick Tock’ by M. Parry-Bull, Erin Costello and Chloe Gowthorpe ( St Augustine’s Priory)

- Second Prize ‘The Stranger’ by Martha Hall ( Latymer Upper School)

- Commendations

- ‘Valentine’ by Helena Merron ( St Augustine’s Priory)

- ‘Countess Dracula’ by Holly-May Jordan ( St Augustine’s Priory)

-‘Sally’ by Millie Thompson ( Latymer Upper School)

September 29, 2012