Poetry Prize Winners Announced at Chiswick Book Festival

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Daisy Goodwin encouraged the young poets to continue their writing

Daisy Goodwin presents prizes at the Chiswick Book Festival. Picture: Roger Green

September 22, 2023

On Friday 8th September the Chiswick Book Festival once again held the prize-giving for the Young People's Poetry Competition 2023.

Thirteen years after it was originally set up the competition is still going strong stimulating creativity and writing skills in children and young people. The competition is open to all children in Years 3-7 from all areas. Prizes are awarded within each of the five year groups to ensure each age group is judged separately. Children are invited to write a poem at home, or at school, about whatever inspires them.

This year young poets entered from schools across the London area including: Ark Byron Primary Academy Acton, Chiswick & Bedford Park School, Dairy Meadow Primary School Southall, St Stephen’s Church of England Twickenham, Edge Grove Independent School Watford, Orchard House School Chiswick, Chiswick School, Southfield Primary School Chiswick, The Falcons School for Boys Chiswick, St Augustine's Priory Ealing, Eaton House The Manor School Clapham and Ravenscourt Preparatory School Chiswick .

The annual prize-giving, this year held at St Michael and All Angels Church, was as usual a buzzing event with a large audience of smiling prize winners and their families and teachers, all eager to hear about the winning poems and what made these poems shine out.

Judges were on hand on to greet the winners and congratulate them on their work. Judges Carol Douglas, Susi Stanley-Caroll, and Nicola Kelly chose some of the winning poems to read out and lead judge, poet James Priestman recited some fascinating poems he had created, ingeniously comprised from lines from each of the winning poems.

The judges praised the quality and diversity of the entries. Many topics were covered: from the hopes, fears and laughter experienced on “My first residential “, the story of “The Dog with a Martian Roar “or the thrilling reveals in “No Way Out”.
The event was rounded off wonderfully by writer Daisy Goodwin, who has compiled several poetry anthologies.

Daisy spoke about the joys of poetry in her life (including some very funny anecdotes as to the usefulness of poetry in matters of the heart) and encouraged the young poets to continue their writing. Daisy gave out the prizes and certificates to each winner. The competition is sponsored by Chiswickw4.com and all the winners received a special Chiswick Book Festival certificate from ChiswickW4.com and a goody bag of gorgeous books.

The winners, and commendations from all the year groups are listed below and the winning poems are being displayed in Waterstone's for a limited time only, on Chiswick High Road.

2023 Chiswick Book Festival Poetry Competition winners

Year / Prize/ Winner	Tiitle
Year 3
1st
Aian Currimjee	Sibling Escape
2nd
Laurie Johnson	Hamster Wheel
3rd
Blue Roberts	I Can Rhyme
Commendation
Romy Scott	The Store full of magical things
Year 4
1st
Layla Badat	My first ever residential
2nd
Sylvie Leyburn	Down at the Quay
3rd
Atlas Devrimoz	When I Grow Up
Commendation
Kiersten Galliers	Sandy Beaches
Riyan Mahamed	Escape War
Year 5
1st
Xander Ong	Migration
2nd
Albie Frayling	Lest we Forget
3rd
Lara Wilson	The Dog with the Martian Roar
Commendation
Alexandra Stefanova Doheva	Sandals
Lora Nedyalkova	Down Went the Bird
Madeleine Crane	Ice
Year 6
1st
Martha Garistina	The Queen of the Night
Rehaan Sankar	Its Catching
2nd
Molly Young	Once Upon a Time
3rd
Hailey Kan	The Escape
Krish Kumar	Football 2
Commendation
Hargun Brar	Football 1
Hunarpreet Brab	The invisible family
Sophie de Vise-Craig	Me, Myself and I
Year 7
1st
Lila Price	The Unseen
Pixie Pakenham	No Way Out
2nd
Sophia Bani	Escape (2) 7
Zoe Christie	Flatlining
3rd
Mayla Carbonell McBain	Escape, Wonder and Live
Commendation
Chloe Hunt	Freedom
Subhan Tanoli	Escape 6

 

 

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