This year the Blackburn Community Association (BCA) will be hosting its first ever poetry prize: The 2021 BCA Poetry Prize
WHAT: Submit an original, unpublished poem, in English or French, up to 200 words in length with no minimum word requirement. The poem should reflect some aspect of the meaning or consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
WHEN: The competition is now open for submissions! You have until 8pm on Thursday, October 7, 2021 to submit your poem.
WHO: All children who were 9 – 11 years old as of December 31, 2020 and who live or attend school in Blackburn Hamlet.
HOW: Submit your poem as a PDF file by email to youth@blackburnhamlet.ca. The file should be named as follows: FirstName.LastName.NameofSchool.CurrentAge (e.g. Sara.Smith.EmilyCarr.age10).
These details should NOT appear in the text of the poem document.
WHO IS JUDGING: The shortlist and winner will be decided by a panel of at least three poets. The decisions of the judges will be final.
WHAT YOU CAN WIN: The winner will receive $75 and three finalists will each receive $25 from the BCA. The winning poem and the three finalists’ poems will be published in the November 2021 issue of the BANAR. If space does not permit, some of the finalists’ poems will be published in the following issue of the BANAR.
WANT HELP: Subscribe to the BCA Poetry Prize newsletter for writing tips and support along the way. Send an email request to youth@blackburnhamlet.ca to subscribe and we will send you writing tips and tricks every Wednesday while the competition is open.