CORNWALL’S young people have been putting pen to paper as they show their creative talents as part of the Causley Trust’s Young Person’s Poetry Competition.
Each year, young people between the ages of five and 18 are invited by the Launceston based organisation to get their creative juices flowing as part of their Young Person’s Poetry Competition.
This year, the centre of the competition was focussed on the theme of ‘magic’.
With witchcraft and wizardry in mind, young people across the country got hard at work, channelling their inner Charles Causley.
The competition aims to encourage and enable young writers to have a go at writing poetry themselves.
A spokesperson from the trust explained: “Charles wrote prolifically for adults and for young people and much of his inspiration came from folklore and myths, writing about elves, changelings, wizards, ghosts, mermaids, incantations and curses.”
For 2024’s competition, poems were judged by Rachel Piercey, writer in residence at Cyprus Well (the former home of Charles Causley) and a panel of poetry judges.
As well as an opportunity to get creative, the competition also awarded prizes for first, second, third, and highly commended places in each category, with this year also featuring an honourable mention for a young poet based in Cornwall.
Winners at this year’s competition include:
Five to 11 years category: First place is awarded to Maya Pal with their poem ‘A Song of Magic.’
Runners up: Maria Guriteanu with their poem ‘The Moon’ and Macy Sheffield with their poem ‘Where the Magic Lives.’
Eleven to 16 years category: First place is awarded to Faith Lydall with their poem ‘Redhead.’
Runners up: Mia Atkinson with their poem ‘The Purple Beach’ and Bernadette Lee with their poem ‘My Mother’s Spell.’
Sixteen to 18 years category: First place is awarded to Violet Wan with their poem ‘Siren.’
Runners up: Bea Jopling with their poem ‘Within the greats’ and Mathias Adler with their poem ‘I have lived with mermaids.’
Macy Sheffield, runner up in the five to 11 years category, is a student at St Joseph’s School in Launceston.
Following her success, a spokesperson from St Joseph's School said: "We’re incredibly proud of Macy every day. She is a hardworking, creative student, and we are delighted that her fantastic poem has earned her this recognition."
Macy also won the Cornish Prize which involves a workshop in school, facilitated by the trust.
A spokesperson from the the trust added: “The trust is really proud to continue Causley's work in promoting art and literature for all, especially young people and we are extremely impressed with the standard of poems from all of our winners and entrants this year.”