Here are the winning and recognised entries in the 8-11 Age Group of the Penned in Poetry competition. The competition was well-received with many entries received from around the world in each age category. The entries were judged by a panel against ten different criteria, including assonance and alliteration, form and flow, rhyme and rhythm, and overall impact. Here is more information about the judging criteria and what they mean.
The panel was made up of highly acclaimed, award-winning professional poet, performer and educator Joshua Seigal, author of the Opening Doors series and educationalist Bob Cox, Potential Plus UK Young Reporter Fran Glover, and mother/daughter team family members Martha and Caroline Hooton-Picard.
The judges commented that the overall standard was very high, and some thoughtful and powerful work was produced. âThese young poets have shown us all that there is a huge spirit of inventiveness, resilience and care out there. There is evidence of top-level potential for writing and crafting ideas in so many ways. Authentic ‘voices’ shone through in many poems. What a pleasure to see such a wide age range involved too. Creativity is alive and well in lockdown.â
Winner – First Place
Amelie Elise Kilner. Age: 11 Birdcage
Joint Second Place
Third Place
Freya Crump. Age: 10 Staying at Home
Highly Commended
Aanvi S. Age: 8 Creativity is in You
Kate Schwartzman. Age: 10 I Stare Out My Window
Archie Vigar. Age: 10 Looking through the Window
Islay Bowman. Age: 11 The Danger of Love
Maria Jaramillo. Age: 11 Rainbow
First Place
The judges thought the metaphors in the poem illustrated lockdown really well. They felt it was powerful and technically excellent.
Birdcage by Amelie Elise Kilner (aged 11)
I am a bird in a cage,
Trying to break free.
Enclosed, confined to this prison,
I flap my wings, but the lock holds fast.
I can no longer fly.
I am a fish in a net,
Engulfed in darkness.
Stuck, unable to move on,
I writhe and wriggle, but the fibres are relentless.
I can no longer swim.
I am a creature in a zoo,
Cared for behind thick walls,
Forced to bear life for othersâ benefit.
I try to escape, but there is nowhere else to go.
I can no longer choose.
I am a girl in a house,
Desperate for change.
Accompanied, still feeling alone,
I dream of autonomy, but reality snatches it back.
I can no longer see the world.
I am a bird in a cage
Joint Second Place
The judges thought repetition in this poem gave it a powerful effect.
On My Window by Elaine Victoria Runtukahu (aged 9)
On my window,
I saw the trees dancing upon the breeze,
Itâs like they are calling me out to join them,
But, it is only on my window.
Not for the men and women who work to fight with this virus.
Not for the men and women who deliver all things for us.
Not for the men and women who help us for our medicines.
Not for the men and women who teach us from a far.
Not for the men and women who drive us to buy things.
And for that,
From my window,
I want to say thank you very much.
From my window,
I want to say that you all are heroes without a cape.
From my window,
I want to say,
Virus… you are not as pretty as your name âCoronaâ,
PleaseâĤ..go away sooner,
So I can dance with the trees.
Joint Second Place
The judges loved the extended metaphor in the poem and felt that it had a really good impact
Bubble by Yena Park (aged 11)
When the clock on the wall is no longer relevant
When I canât tell day from night
When I donât know how to manage time
Inside the bubble
A world of creativity
Is trapped in a cage
Waiting to be let free
Inside the bubble
There are
No sports
No activities
No school
Itâs all quarantine
Danger lurks outside
Be careful who you touch
Or who you talk with
Hatred unleashes its anger outside the bubble
I stay inside
I canât act
I canât change the things outside my bubble
My bubble is the only thing I can change
Futile efforts provide no results
My bubble never changes
In a never-ending loop
My brain grows dull
And tired
Stop this torture
The bubble is relentless
You can never go outside
You can never harness your outdoor passions
The bubble drains your motivation and energy
You are left with nothing
When the bubble starts to weaken
I pound against it
I search outside the bubble in hopes of freedom
News from outside the bubble reach my husk but alas,
The bubble traps me inside
Somewhere else
Somewhere I know
Somewhere that is deep in my heart
There is no bubble
They donât require the bubble
They are free
My husk rams into the bubble, invigorated
It begins to deflate like a helium balloon
A spark of emotion manifests itself
I ram against the bubble again
Suddenly, it is tough like concrete
I never know when Iâll get outside
The news outside strengthens the bubble
They set a deadline for when the bubble will burst
May 16 the bubble will weaken
We can burst it
My heart fills with joy
My husk bubbles up again
I am a person with a deadline
I need deadlines
They give me motivation
They give me passion
I look at the bubble
I smile
I know itâs there
I accept the bubble
I know itâll burst soon
The bubble may come back
I am ready for the bubble to come back
Are you ready for the bubble to come back?
Third Place
The judges said that this poem left them with a feeling of optimism and they loved the change of perspective and the overall impact this gave.
Staying at Home by Freya Crump  (aged 10)
When youâre stuck at home,
There are many random things you do,
Like drawing with an oven glove,
And walking six miles too,
When youâre stuck at home,
The schoolwork is just as bad,
There are so many boring things to do,
It sometimes drives you mad,
When youâre stuck at home,
Youâll find you cannot spend your purse,
For six months, twelve months,
Or maybe even worse,
ButâĤ
When youâre SAFE at home,
Your pets (especially mine),
Will always be here,
All the time,
When youâre SAFE at home,
Youâll find time for everything,
Like drawing, painting, cooking,
Youâll even find time to sing,
When youâre SAFE at home,
Joy will spread like a disease,
And the worried feeling about Covid-19,
Will slowly start to ease,
Remember that youâre safe not stuck,
Fun times will still come your way,
And if you ever get bored at this time,
Remember, it will all end one day!
Highly Commended
The judges thought this poem had very good technical strengths
Creativity is in You by Aanvi S. (aged 8)
Staying at home is
Quite like a game
Creativity is calling
Our name.
As old as you get
There is still hope in this time
Your creative side unfolds.
Paint can be a lifesaver
It is true in this time
Take the chance
To be you.
Your creative side
Is about to unfold
Lockdown is a creative hole.
Highly Commended
The judges thought that this poem was beautiful to read
I Stare Out My Window by Kate Schwatzman  (aged 10)
I stare out my window
only to see,
two people
outside on the street.
I feel so sad
I canât walk around
On my face is a frown.
My friends and I
Want to see the playground
Except we know
that itâs all brown
no colorful shirts, no colorful cleats
just the sound of the lonely street.
No one believes
what the world has become
this all is happening
fast as the rising sun.
I stare out my window
only to see
two people
outside
on the street.
Internet’s down
I have nothing to play
The only thing
I can really do
is say,
âI stare out my window
only to see
two people
outside
on the streetâ.
Life is now lonely
without all my friends
I just canât wait
until this tragedy ends.
I stare out my window
only to see,
two people
outside on the street.
Both look sad,
and now I can see
it’s because
We’ve all faced defeat.
I stare out my window
only to see,
two people outside
on the street.
Highly Commended
The judges thought this poem was powerful and had a good overall impact
Looking through the Window by Archie Vigar (aged 10)
Looking through the window I can see
a restless flock of birds flying around
not sure of where to go, not sure
of where their end is
Looking through the window I can see
next doorâs tree, itâs fairy lights
for the Thursday clap shine
red, yellow, green â how
many there are I donât know
Looking through the window I can see
me. My reflection shines back
at me from the clear glass.
There are spidersâ
webs with dew
dropping off them
Looking through the window
Highly Commended
The judges thought this poem was beautiful, original and had good impact
The Danger of Love by Islay Bowman  (aged 11)
His fingers pressed lightly on the piano keys,
As he swayed back and forth over his hands,
The day his love drowned in the black sea,
He tore out his hair in strands,
The music rang as clear as day,
And a glass tear ran down his face,
He could feel his loves soft lips touching his,
And her slim body dressed in black lace,
Her eyes like marbles full of sunsets and storms,
And the gentle cool dancing of ice,
Freezing the fire of love that burnt his heart,
To have those eyes back he would pay any price…
Highly Commended
The judges thought this poem was technically very good and had a good rhythm
Rainbow by Maria Jaramillo  (aged 11)
Rainbows brighten the skies,
This one will brighten our lives,
Fight on NHS,
Our knights in shining scrubs,
We clap for you on Thursdays,
But our thoughts are with you always,
Those infected please be strong,
Those self-isolating please carry on,
Protect yourself but also others,
Brothers; sisters; fathers; mothers,
We can all do our part,
We all have it in our heart,
I wish for peace,
Because our love for this world will never cease,
Please be brave,
And eventually Covid will cave,
Be patient and keep on fighting
And if we do so – we will witness the whole world uniting.
See Joshua Seigalâs tips for writing poetry at: Tips for Budding Poets and find out more about his books here: Little Lemur Laughing and Welcome to My Crazy Life.
Discover Bob Coxâs Opening Doors series here: Opening Doors to Famous Poetry and Prose and Opening Doors to Quality Writing: Ideas for Writing Inspired by Great Writers for Ages 10 to 13.
