Huge congratulations to Alice from Year 6 for scooping the Year 5 & 6 category prize in the 2023 GDST Laurie Magnus Poetry competition.

Alice won her category for her written works on ‘Life and Death’ with judge and GDST alumna Sophia Blackwell commenting: “I was unable to resist the use of rhythm and repetition in this poem which gets across complex concepts and daunting topics (life and death - it doesn't get much bigger than that!) with deceptively simple Anglo-Saxon words that make the piece seem reminiscent of a prayer, rock or rap song or William Blake poem.” 

Speaking of the competition overall, Sophia Blackwell added that “she was delighted and inspired by the quality of this year’s entries. Choosing the winners and highly commended entries was even more of a challenge than I had anticipated. As both a page and stage poet myself, I am aware that the winning poems in several categories would be just as strong when performed as on the page and I encourage the young poets to explore that! 

“My thanks to all the exceptional entrants who shared their words, their sense of wonder and their awareness of the great importance of preserving our world, as well as questioning and celebrating what makes it a worthwhile place to live.” 

All winners will receive certificates and vouchers for their exceptional works.  
You can read Alice's poem on ‘Life and Death' and the other brilliant entries on the GDST News page.
  

About judge Sophia Blackwell 

The poems were judged by Newcastle High School for Girls alumna, Sophia Blackwell.  A performance poet, published poet and novelist, Sophia’s most recent book, The Poetry Writers’ Handbook, was published by Bloomsbury in Autumn 2022. She has performed at Glastonbury, Women of the World (WOW) Festival and headlined a national tour with slam poetry artists Hammer and Tongue. Sophia is also a radio arts journalist, freelance editor, former Chair of Poetry London, and has taught workshops and lectured across the UK, most recently for Falmouth University. Her spoken word piece The Beau Monde is being played as part of the Crown to Couture exhibition at Kensington Palace until October 2023.