In Press & Media, Events

Stratford Literary Festival is delighted to announce the winners of the 2021 Young Poets Competition which will be published in a special Collection. This year’s competition, supported this year by L&Q and the executors of the Felix Dennis Estate, saw an enormous number of entries from young people all over the UK

In the 5-10 age category Olive Mabel Hutchinson, age 10 from Hove, was chosen as the winner. Her poem Eagle Began artfully describes how elements of nature came together to form the majestic Eagle.

In the 11-16 age category the winner, Erin Oakley age 15 from Dudley shared My Grandma’s Kitchen bringing to life the sights, sounds, and smells she experienced as a young child helping with the home cooking.

In the 17-21 age category Anna Bailey, age 19 from St Hugh’s College Oxford, is this year’s winner. Her poem The Pill Collector attempts to convey the uncanny experience of picking up a prescription from the local pharmacy which is now owned by an old school friend.

The competition, which has run for over 10 years, was open to anyone aged between 5 and 21 living in the UK and the prizes are £100 in the 5-10 age category, £200 in the 11-16 age category, and £300 in the 17-21 age category. As well as this year’s winners, the runners-up and highly commended poems and those specially selected, will be published in a special 2021 Festival Collection.

The cover of the Collection is the winning design in a competition open to students of design, graphic design, photography, art, or other related course students across the UK. This year’s winner is Joanna Dionisio, an illustration graduate from the University of Hertfordshire, who produced a stunning swan design.

‘Each year we are amazed by the level of talent in the hundreds of poems we receive from young people,’ says Stratford Literary Festival Director, Annie Ashworth, ‘But this year has been even more special. As the world has faced a pandemic, young people have been particularly effected. So that makes this year’s entries all the more remarkable. Through poetry you can hear the sounds of anxiety and fear, anger and despair, but also coming through these poems is the daylight of humour and, more importantly, irreverence.’

Judges of this year’s prize included children’s author Tracey Corderoy, whose books include the Shifty McGifty and Hubble Bubble series, and Craig Luttman, L&Q Deputy Group Director, Development & Sales.

‘I was honoured to judge the poems for the Stratford Literary Festival,’ says Tracey Corderoy, ‘They were all incredibly strong and it was so hard to choose between them.’

‘This was a tough call’, agrees Craig Luttman. ‘We saw so many beautiful and thoughtful entries, and it was wonderful to see so many young people take part. Congratulations to the winners, and to everyone involved – you should all be very proud.’

Felix Dennis was a publisher, poet, planter of trees, and a great supporter of the Festival. He died in 2014 but his Literary Executors continue to support the competition in his memory and to encourage young writers and poets. L&Q is a not for profit housing association and developer, building quality homes for sale and rent locally at Birnam Mews, Tiddington, and Consilio, Stratford-upon-Avon.

This year’s Young Poets Collection costs £9.99 and is available to pre-order now from the Festival website at stratlitfest.co.uk. The Stratford Literary Festival runs from 8th to 16th May. All information on this year’s programme of events is available at www.stratfordliteraryfestival.co.uk.

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