Writing the World
Cool it Schools – the global online climate change and environmental project for young people, have launched a new poetry competition to celebrate the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity.
Winning poems will be published on the Natural History Museum’s website and featured in the October edition of Second Nature, the museum’s magazine for young members. Winners will be selected by the poet and novelist, Sue Hubbard, and prizes include beautiful books on biodiversity presented by Dorling Kindersley and Silver Jungle.
The theme: Slip inside some scales, feather, fur or shell. Imagine you are a bird, fish, mammal, plant or insect ... even an amoeba! ... and write a poem about your changing environment. The poem can be funny or serious, but should be saying something new about how species adapt to a changing planet. And it should be illustrated, so decorate your poem with paint, crayons, grass or seeds - whichever material tells a little more about your chosen subject, though the poems will not be judged on the illustrations.
The competition is open to young people aged from 5 to 18 years (judges in three separate age categories), and is open to everyone – not just schools. Poems should be a maximum of 14 lines and must be written in English. The closing date is 23rd July, 2010, and there is a charge of £2 for each poem.
For more details and how to enter, please go to:
