To celebrate our 10th anniversary, The Footpath Library is thrilled to announce a national poetry competition for primary and secondary school students.
Addressing the theme of COURAGE, students are invited to submit poems that may be traditional verse, a visual or graphic representation of a poem or performance poetry such as rap rhyme or song.
Prizes will be awarded in two age categories—Primary Students and High School Students. For each age category the prizes are:
1st prize – laptop
2nd prize – camera
3rd prize – ipod
Highly commended entries will be listed on a Judges Honours roll and will receive book prizes.
The Epic! Poetry Competition is launched in recognition of The Footpath Library’s 10th year of operation and to remember Benjamin Andrew, in whose memory our organisation was originally named. Since Ben was a writer of poetry, we are delighted to honour him in this way. Read more about our history here
OPENING & CLOSING DATES
The Competition opens on Sunday 1 December 2013 and all entries must be submitted by 5:00pm (AEDST) on Monday 3 February 2014. Click here to enter.
The winner and any runners up of the Competition will be publicly announced at a date to be determined by The Footpath Library.
ELIGIBILITY & ENTRY CRITERIA
JUDGING PANEL
The judging panel for the 2013/14 Epic! Poetry Competition individually and collectively bring a love of words and an understanding of the power of words to express how we feel and to communicate our perspective to others.
The panel includes The Footpath Library Ambassador and novelist Emily Maguire, Ambassador and journalist Kate Holden, hip-hop artist L-FRESH the LION and performance poet Candy Royalle.
“Without poetry (and it’s close cousin hip hop), I wouldn’t be alive today. Poetry has single-handedly gotten me through the toughest moments in my life, helped me to express the most beautiful experiences and allowed me the opportunity to be heard in a world that constantly seeks to silence. It has the power to do that for anyone who seeks it out – as reader, writer or performer of the art form.” Candy Royalle
For a full biography of each judge, click here to TFL’s poetry comp web page here
DOWNLOAD A FLYER/POSTER TO PROMOTE THE COMPETITION AT YOUR SCHOOL OR ORGANISATION >> HERE
ABOUT THE FOOTPATH LIBRARY
One evening in 2003 when volunteering with a food van serving meals to homeless and disadvantaged people in Sydney’s CBD, Founder Sarah Garnett noticed a man sitting under a streetlight reading a novel. She started bringing him a few books and it was from this humble beginning that the original The Benjamin Andrew Footpath Library grew.
Over the last ten years, The Footpath Library has enriched the quality of life for homeless and disadvantaged people by encouraging literacy and connection through books. Collecting books from the public and publishers, the dedicated team of over 70 volunteers are able to operate branches that service over 80 libraries in hostels in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.
