poetry by heart: at a glance

why Poetry by Heart?

The competition aims to:

  • engageyoung people from a range of backgrounds, introducing them to the pleasures of poetry.
  • DiscoverScotland’s rich andvibrant poetry tradition, both historical and modern.
  • Encourage learning poetry by ‘heart’, not by rote, building self-esteem and confidence in public speaking.
  • Supportthe enjoyment and choice of poetry texts, a core thread of the Curriculum for Excellence.

whotakes part?

  • Pupils in S4-S6 as competitors; non-competitors can also be given supporting roles in running your contest.
  • Teachers, librarians, learning assistants, parents, local poets, actors, readers, journalists and community leaders – as judges, as well as mentors to the competing students.

whatdo competitors have to do?

  • Memorise and recite poems by heart, bringing them alive for the audience. Poems can be chosen from the online Poetry by Heart anthology of 200 poems,or from the anthology of poems on the Scottish Poetry Library’s website
  • Students in school contests recite one pre-1914 poem plus one post- 1914 poem. Winners going forward to regional heats and the national finals can recite the same poems as at the school stage competition or select new ones.
  • At each stage one of the poems selected from the list must be by a Scottish poet. (This includes poets resident in Scotland.)

whenis it all happening?

  • School competitions by Friday 22 December 2017.
  • Regional semi-finals will take place in Universities across Scotland, in January/February 2018.
  • National finals in Edinburgh, in March 2018.

whereis the action?

  • First rounds in any Scottish secondary school.
  • Regional semi-finals, taking place in Universities across Scotland.
  • National finals at the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh.

howdo we get involved?

  • Schools MUST register to participate byFriday 3rd November 2017at the latest.
  • To register, please email Rose Harrison, Learning Co-ordinator, Scottish Poetry Library d include in your email the name of a contact teacher, a contact email address, postal address and a phone number for your school.
  • After registration you will receive free resources to organise your competition and get started!