Children’s Laureate to chair international competition

Michael Rosen, the Children’s Laureate, is to chair the judging panel for a worldwide poetry competition for 7-11 year olds. He hailed last year’s winning poems as ‘beautiful and surprising’. The Competition is organised by the Children’s Poetry Bookshelf, a poetry book club for young people run by the Poetry Book Society. To link with National Poetry Day on Thursday 9 October, children will be asked to write a poem in English no longer than 25 lines on the theme of ‘Work’.

Now in its third year, the competition has been renamed the Old Possum’s Children’s Poetry Competition after T S Eliot’s much-loved children’s poetry collection about cats. The competition is open to both individuals and schools. Cash prizes of £250 for first prize, £100 for second and £50 for third will be awarded, along with books and CPB memberships, in two age groups, 7-8 year-olds and 9-11 year-olds. Entries will be accepted from Thursday 11 September, up until the closing date of Monday 20 October. The winners will be announced at a gala celebration in London in December.

In partnership with the British Council a new ‘International Learners’ category, with the same age groups, has been added specifically for children based outside the UK who are learning English as a foreign or second language. In a significant development which will encourage thousands of children to take part, National Year of Reading has chosen to support the Competition and through its campaign and website it will encourage individual children and schools to take part.

The Old Possum’s Children’s Poetry Competition will encourage children to play with poetry, by providing an outlet for their creativity with language and encouraging teachers to bring poetry alive in the classroom. A teacher’s guide to accompany the competition will be available to download from the Children’s Poetry Bookshelf website (www.childrenspoetrybookshelf.co.uk) from early September, along with further information about the competition.

The Children’s Poetry Bookshelf is delighted to have the support of the Children’s Laureate for the second year running as Chair of the judging panel. Michael Rosen is joined by a distinguished panel of people who are passionate about poetry, consisting of Gaby Morgan, anthologist and Editorial Director in charge of the poetry list at Macmillan Children’s Books; Rosemary Stones, Editor of Books for Keeps; Fiona Waters, Editorial Director of Troubadour and poetry anthologist; and Cliff Yates, poet and Deputy Head of Maharishi School.

The Old Possum’s Children’s Poetry Competition is generously supported by Old Possum’s Practical Trust.

For further information about the Competition please contact:
Chris Holifield at the Poetry Book Society 020 7833 9247
email chris@poetrybooks.co.uk