You can read the full article here: https://www.halesowennews.co.uk/news/young-reporter/23161419.cosmic-poetry-competition-aimee-caulkin-boa-stage-screen/

Poetry certainly isn’t the most popular hobby amongst teenagers, but opinions seem to change when £5000 is on offer. A new poetry competition by Christ Church is available to enter and will remain so until 24th February 2023. Contestants are required to write a short poem of no more than 48 lines, on the theme of ‘The Planets’.  

Christ Church have made entries for students ages 16-18 free, making the competition a great opportunity for many students who may have an interest in poetry, or even students who want to step out of their comfort zone and try writing poetry for the first time; entry is free, so there’s nothing to lose! The poems must meet the theme of ‘The planets’, meaning that whilst the competition is encouraging young people to get more involved with poetry, it is also encouraging them to think more and express how they feel about the planet that we live in and our surroundings.  

By entering the competition, not only is there the chance to gain new opportunities and experience, there is also a generous array of prizes available for the top 13 winners. First place is an enormous prize of £5000, second place £3000, third £1500, and the remaining 10 commended prizes are £500 each.  

When asked what his first impressions were when he first heard about the competition, 16 year old student Ethan Coombs who will be entering the competition said, “I just thought it was a good opportunity because I’ve wanted to do something a bit further with my poetry, rather than just sort of keep it to myself.” Upon being asked if he thought there should be more competitions similar to this one out there for young people, he said “Definitely, I think it really does promote creativity with young people, it is a good idea to get people out there and writing poetry more because I feel like anyone can do it, you just need to put your mind to it and it’s good for intelligence and creativity.” 

This competition would be a fantastic experience for anyone who is looking to take their poetry a step further, or for people who are just beginning their experience with writing poetry.