(Pictured from left to right: TCA Year 7 students Reuben Cartwright, Maggie Barnard, Alisha Cox and Kaden Haggett)

Students from schools across the Brooke Weston Trust are being invited to take part in this year’s inter-trust poetry competition.

The A Light in the Dark competition has been launched by Thomas Clarkson Academy, which is encouraging all students from Brooke Weston Trust primary schools and secondary schools to take part.

The school is looking for students to produce an original piece of creative writing around the competition’s title of A Light in the Dark.

Leader of the Learning Information Centre at the Thomas Clarkson Academy, Mrs Debbie Trafford said: “We were delighted to be hosting this competition after so many students from across the Trust schools took part in the writing competition that we ran in March. Feedback afterwards was very positive and participants asked if we could repeat the experience. So here it is!

“The entries will be judged on creativity, originality, reader engagement and use of literary devices. “The Light Cinema in Wisbech has also offered to display the winning poems in their exhibition space, so be sure to present them attractively.”

Reuben Cartwright has already submitted his entry.  The Year 7 student wrote three different poems before selecting one to put forward.

He said: “For more poetry is more satisfying to write as it has less rules and you can better express yourself.”

An independent and impartial team of judges from the local community will be looking through the entries and be deciding on one winner from the primary schools and one winner from the secondary schools.

The first prize is a £25 Amazon gift voucher and an invitation for the winner and a friend to attend a poetry day at Thomas Clarkson Academy on 12^th January 2016, when they will get the chance to enjoy a performance and take part in workshops run by a visiting poet.

There will also be two runners up prizes of Amazon gift vouchers.

Prizes have been kindly donated by Wisbech Rotary Club.

The closing date for entries is on Friday, 27^th November at 7pm and winners will be notified as soon as possible after this date.

All poems should be emailed to Library@thomasclarkson.cambs.sch.uk, and must be clearly labelled with the entrant’s name, age, and school.
The school will also accept hard copies – these must be posted to reach Thomas Clarkson Academy by the closing date.