Making Waves With Buxton Poetry Competition
25 September 2007
Buxton Poetry Competition will be hosted at the Dome
The Buxton Poetry Competition is a valuable contribution to the literary life of the country, complementing the many good things already done by the Buxton Festival. I’m delighted to be associated with it.
”Poet Laureate Andrew Motion
Poets of all ages have the opportunity to take part in a major new literary competition – supported by the UK Poet Laureate Andrew Motion – which will give its winners the chance to read their work at the Buxton Festival and be exhibited at the University of Derby Devonshire Campus in Buxton.
Professor Motion and Lady Jasmine Cavendish, daughter of the Duke of Devonshire, are the patrons for the first Buxton Poetry Competition.
Poems that are entered will be assessed by a panel of distinguished judges, including award-winning poet Fleur Adcock OBE and Michael Schmidt OBE, Professor of Poetry at the University of Glasgow and author of books on the subject.
The literary contest will be launched by the University of Derby Buxton and the Buxton Festival on National Poetry Day, Thursday 4 October, where Derbyshire’s new Poet Laureate will also be formally announced. The launch, which is open to the public, will start at 4pm in the Dome of the Devonshire Campus, Buxton.
Poems entered into the competition will take as their theme ‘Water’, the importance and abundance of which has shaped Buxton’s development and which continues to play a major role in the town’s resurgence as a major tourist destination. The closing date for entries is April 1, 2008.
This major literary competition will be open to all ages nationwide, with the winners receiving cash prizes and an opportunity to read their work before an audience during the 2008 Buxton Festival.
The winning poems will also appear in the 2008 Buxton Festival programme, the University’s Devonshire Echo newsletter and will be exhibited at the Dome of the University’s Devonshire Campus during the Buxton Festival (July 11 to 27, 2008). Winners will also receive complimentary event tickets.
There will be three competition categories:
- Open Poetry – for ages 19 and over
- Young People's Poetry – for people aged 12 to 18
- Children's Poetry – for poets aged up to 11 years old.
Professor Motion, Poet Laureate, said: “The Buxton Poetry Competition is a valuable contribution to the literary life of the country, complementing the many good things already done by the Buxton Festival. I’m delighted to be associated with it.”
The University and the Buxton Festival welcome his involvement as patron and that of the panel of judges.
Glyn Foley, Chief Executive of the Buxton Festival, said: “Our aim is to recognise and reward emerging talent and creativity as well as to provide an outlet for poetry during the Festival.
“The Festival’s star morning literary series goes from strength to strength each year, attracting many high calibre authors. We are pleased to give this exciting opportunity to established and budding poets, to showcase their work to our Festival audience during July next year.”
Professor David Gray, Dean of the University of Derby Buxton, added: “As a community university we are committed to promoting the arts ever more widely.
“This new literary endeavour meets that aspiration admirably and we are delighted to be a partner in it.”
The rules for poem entries to the competition are:
- Poems must be the poet’s original work
- They must be 40 lines long or less, typed on one side of A4 white paper and titled
- The poet’s name must not appear on the poem, as judging will be done anonymously
- No more than three poems can be submitted by one person
- The judges’ decision will be final.
Receipt of entries can be confirmed if a stamped addressed envelope/ postcard is included with the entry form. The 15 poetry finalists will be informed on June 1, 2008.
For further details about entering the competition, to receive an application form or to register to attend the launch on October 4, contact Liz Holland, Community Development Officer at the University of Derby Buxton, on 01332 594627 or email: l.holland@derby.ac.uk; or Claire Rhodes, Business Development Officer for the Buxton Festival, on 01298 70395 or email claire@buxtonfestival.co.uk
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Buxton Festival
Buxton Festival is the largest festival of its kind in England and the only festival in the UK dedicated to programming rarely performed English language opera. It attracts over 40,000 people from all over the country and abroad to the heart of the Peak District every year. Held every July, the 17-day award winning Festival presents operas from the baroque to contemporary that cannot be seen elsewhere. The Festival’s incredible opera programme is complemented by a highly respected and much envied Literary Series, with talks every morning from speakers with a broad experience in well crafted writing, whether in biography, fiction, politics or personal memoir (recent speakers include Gore Vidal, Robin Cook, Kate Adie, Tom Stoppard, Michael Palin, Germaine Greer, and Patrick Stewart). These are followed by a choice of concerts and recitals in the afternoon, coupled with relaxed late-night events including short films. The Festival allows visitors to see a wide range and vast number of performances in just a few days - with over 100 events on offer.
Buxton Festival provides an opportunity to see unusual opera, music and literature, but it also offers a unique experience it itself. Surrounded by the beautiful landscape of the Peak District and the regal architecture of the historic spa town, the Festival offers a holiday as well as the opportunity to enjoy top class music and literature.
The 2008 Buxton Festival will run from 11 – 27 July.
