West Yorkshire Young Poet Laureate Programme
Could one of your students be the next West Yorkshire Young Poet Laureate?
We are delighted to be partnering with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the National Poetry Centre again to run another year of the fantastic West Yorkshire Young Poet Laureate Programme. The 24-25 Young Poet Laureate Competition launched during West Yorkshire Poetry Week and is now open to students in Year 4 and Year 9 from schools across West Yorkshire.
The competition is free to enter and entries will be judged in two categories: Primary, Year 4 and Secondary, Year 9.
Guest judges include Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin, National Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and a team of local professional poets.
How to submit to the West Yorkshire Poet Laureate Competition 2024
The competition is open to all schools across West Yorkshire. Email your pupils' (year 4 and year 9) poetry entries to young.writers@literacytrust.org.uk by Friday 20 December 2024.
- Poem entries can be sent as files, photos or scans.
- Eligible entries are poems in written and video format in all languages, including BSL
- Entries featuring a language other than English must include an English translation
- Each young poet may submit only one poem, and each school may submit a maximum of six poems from each participating year group
The post of West Yorkshire Young Poet Laureate
The winning Young Poets will be ambassadors for poetry across West Yorkshire, helping to inspire a new generation of poets and creatives. The two Laureates will be appointed at a celebratory event and they will remain in post for one year following their appointments. They will have the opportunity to:
- Take part in a poetry mentoring programme
- Engage their peers in poetry sessions
- Work with the West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin and the National Poet Laureate Simon Armitage
- Attend several key and exclusive cultural events across the region, with opportunities to perform
- Write poems for commission
- Have their work promoted and amplified by West Yorkshire Combined Authority and partners.
Shortlisted poets will have the opportunity to:
- Attend a full day Masterclass with professional poets
- Attend the celebratory event where winners are announced
- Attend three open mic events, across West Yorkshire, to share their poetry on stage alongside professional poets.
- Have their work published in an anthology
Free poetry resources for schools
Download our poetry lesson plans and classroom resources to help you deliver inspiring poetry sessions with your pupils, ahead of their submissions to the West Yorkshire Young Poet Laureate Competition 24-25.
Children and young people's engagement with poetry research
Our recent research into children, young people and poetry found that:
- 1 in 2 (48.8%) children and young people aged 8 to 16 told us in 2024 that they engaged with poetry in some form, meaning that over half are missing out on the benefits.
- In line with our previous findings, more children and young people who received free school meals (FSMs) said in 2024 that they engaged in poetry in their free time compared with their peers who did not receive FSMs.
Read the full research report.
Poetry changes lives: a true story
Written for the inaugural West Yorkshire Poetry Week, Bradford-based poet Sharena Lee Satti's blog, explores the misconceptions around what poetry is and who it is for.
