‘Water’ Poems Flood In For First Buxton Poetry Competition
7 April 2008
Launch of the first Poetry Competition in October.
...a valuable contribution to the literary life of the country...
”Poet Laureate Professor Andrew Motion.
More than 1,000 poems have been entered in the first Buxton Poetry Competition, with poets of all ages and from across the globe taking part.
The literary venture by the University of Derby and the Buxton Festival has proven so popular that plans are already well underway for the launch of the second annual contest, later this year.
Entries for the first competition, launched on National Poetry Day last October, closed on April 1.
A panel of judges will now choose five finalists for each of the competition’s three categories of Open Poetry (for poets aged 19 and over), Young People's Poetry (12 to 18-year-olds) and Children's Poetry (up to 11-years-old).
Entries – on the theme of Water – were sent to Buxton from across the UK and as far afield as the USA, Switzerland, Italy, France, Australia and The West Indies.
Poets from schoolchildren to a Buxton lady in her 90s have taken part. There have been many entries from youngsters involved with children’s charity Barnardo’s, which is also running its own internal competition based on the entries.
UK Poet Laureate Professor Andrew Motion and Lady Jasmine Cavendish, daughter of the Duke of Devonshire, are the patrons for the first Buxton Poetry Competition.
Professor Motion has called the Buxton Poetry Competition “a valuable contribution to the literary life of the country, complementing the many good things already done by the Buxton Festival”.
Entered poems will now be assessed by panels of distinguished judges, which include award-winning poet Fleur Adcock OBE and Michael Schmidt OBE, Professor of Poetry at the University of Glasgow and an author of books on the subject.
A First, Second and Third place winner, and two Highly Commended poems, for each category will be announced at a ceremony at 6pm on Thursday 10 July, in the Dome at the University of Derby’s Devonshire Campus, in Buxton.
Professor John Coyne, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Derby, said: “We have been obviously delighted at the tremendous response to the first Buxton Poetry Competition.
“It is clear that we have touched a real seam of creativity in applicants of all ages and we are all awaiting, excitedly, the verdict from our distinguished judging panels.”
Glyn Foley, Chief Executive of the Buxton Festival, added: “Our aim is to recognise and reward emerging talent and creativity, as well as to provide an outlet for poetry during the Festival.
“We are pleased to give this exciting opportunity to established and budding poets, to showcase their work to our Festival audience in July.”
Open Poetry category winners will receive £250 for First, £150 for Second and £50 for Third place. Young People’s Poetry and Children’s Poetry category winners will share a total of £310 in Waterstone’s prize vouchers. Winners will also receive complimentary Buxton Festival event tickets.
All 15 placed poems will be displayed in the Dome as part of a wider Buxton Festival exhibition (from July 11 to 27). Visitors will be able to vote for their favourite ‘People’s Choice’ poem during the month.
The three outright category winners will also have their poems published in the 2008 Buxton Festival programme.
Poems entered in the competition can be read, and some heard at www.derby.ac.uk/buxtonpoetrycompetition.
-ends-
For further media information please contact University of Derby Press and PR Officer Simon Butt on 01332 591891 or 07748 920023.
Press release by University of Derby Press and PR Officer Sean Kirby on 01332 593004 or email s.kirby@derby.ac.uk.
