Those were the words of poet Peter McDonald, one of the judges of the 2015 Christopher Tower Poetry Prize, an annual award to encourage aspiring poets aged 16 to 18.
The theme for this year’s competition was “cells”, a subject that inspired the entrants to write about everything from biological cells to prison cells.
Isla Anderson, a 16-year-old pupil at Woldingham School in Surrey, won the £3,000 first prize for a poem called The Forensics of Salt-Licking.
Isla already has a string of poetry awards to her name. She won first prize in the young people’s category of the 2015 Basil Bunting Poetry Award and was one of the top 15 winners in last year’s Foyle Young Poets competition.
Register now, read forever
Thank you for visiting SecEd and reading some of our content for professionals in secondary education. Register now for free to get unlimited access to all content.
What's included:
-
Unlimited access to news, best practice articles and podcast
-
New content and e-bulletins delivered straight to your inbox every Monday and Thursday
Already have an account? Sign in here