We are delighted to announce that Lower Sixth student Sienna Mehta has won a Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2022 and has been selected as one of the top 15 poets.
The annual competition run by the Poetry Society attracts entries from all over the world, and this year the judges assessed more than 13,500 entries from 6,600 young people in 100 countries.
The prize-giving ceremony took place at the National Theatre in London last week and Sienna will receive a fantastic range of prizes to help develop her writing. This includes a residential writing course, mentoring from leading British poets, membership to The Poetry Society and a goody bag of books. Her winning poem ‘Unrequited’ will also be published in a printed winners’ anthology available in March 2023, to read it click here.
Sienna commented, “I think creative recognition is always so meaningful, because sometimes writing poetry can feel very insular – often you wish you could know if what you’re doing is objectively any good. Being in the Top 15 feels incredible, not only because it always seemed unattainable, but also because it has given me an invaluable confidence in my writing, and its potential to make an impact.”
Mrs Petty, Teacher of English, says, “Since Sienna joined Trinity, she has proved herself an outstanding student of English Literature A Level. I am not at all surprised that she has proved her creative skills so resoundingly. Her response to literature shows a sophisticated understanding of how language can be used and arranged to achieve subtle effects and create a powerful impact.”
‘The extraordinary range and breadth of the writing in this year’s Foyle Young Poets competition slowed our reading down, asked us to inhabit a pool of poetics and voices, while encouraging us to think about tomorrow’s poetry in fresh and innovative ways… To witness such an open display of aliveness to the world, to the systems, inequalities and rhythms we live amongst confirmed the future of poetry as being vibrant, dynamic and restless.’ – Anthony Anaxagorou, Judge Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2022
Run by The Poetry Society and generously supported by the Foyle Foundation, this has been an exciting 24th year for the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award. Since 1998, the Award has been finding, celebrating and supporting the very best young poets from around the world. The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award is firmly established as one of the leading competitions for young poets aged between 11 and 17 years old.
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