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Young Poet Laureate

Worcestershire Young Poet Laureate is run jointly by Severn Arts and Worcestershire Libraries, celebrating the talented voices of young local poets.

Worcestershire Young Poet Laureate is run jointly by Worcestershire Libraries, Severn Arts and Public Health Worcestershire, celebrating the talented voices of young local poets by inviting them to submit their written poetry for the opportunity to perform at the Young Poet Laureate final.

As Young Poet Laureate you could:

have your work published 
receive mentoring from professional poets 
gain opportunities to perform and share your work

How to apply

Applications for the 2025 Young Poet Laureate competition are now open!

Young people living or studying in Worcestershire can participate by submitting a poem on the theme of ‘courage.’

The deadline for applications is 5:00pm on Friday 28 March 2025. The final will take place at The Hive on Sunday 27 April 2025. To find out more information and apply, visit: Young Poet Laureate

About the competition

The competition is judged across 3 age categories: school years 6 to 8, 9 to 11 and 12 to 13.  

Shortlisted poets are invited to perform in the Young Poet Laureate final. At this event, a winner from each age category is selected by the panel of judges. Of these three winners, one young person will be awarded the title of Worcestershire's Young Poet Laureate 2025.

The Worcestershire Young Poet Laureate 2025 final is on 27 April at The Hive in Worcester.

Read Iona's winning poem 'Word Metamorphosis'

Word Metamorphosis

Abandoned, abhorrent, ablaze,

Abysmal accolades.

Backstabbing’s balance

Becomes blackened blandiloquence.

Cacophonies caliginous can cease?

Cloaking conniving’s creep.

Dark days dilating,

Discoloured, discombobulating.

Ephemeral ethereality,

Ever… felicitous, fictional,

Galaxy.

Galvanising gnarled

Habituality.

Happiness, harmonious,

Hastily hopeless.

Incandescently inky,

Intricately…

It’s… jade, jagged,

Kaleidoscopes, kindred.

Less,

Lies life’s locked loneliness.

Magniloquence manifests-

Mellifluous,

Narcissism nasty-

Noiseless.

Obsequious oceans, orangutans,

Painful pangs,

Queries,

Regrets,

Revolutionaries.

Righting riots,

Serendipitous… silence.

Sobs soft still,

Tangible, tranquil.

Turbulent turmoil,

Unanimously uncontrollable,

Venerability vibrant…

Violent.

Wailing, wasting,

Whispering wonder,

Xs yelp,

“Yonder!”

Watching the letters evolve,

As they spill and flow,

I apologise for the empty dictionary,

Now its word count is…

Zero.