The next generation of West Yorkshire's ‘Young Poets Laureate'
have been announced by Mayor and the National Poet
Laureate Simon Armitage, following a search to discover and
celebrate creative talent in the region.
Hundreds of poems were entered by pupils in school years four and
nine, as part of a region-wide programme launched by the National
Literacy Trust in October. Professional poets have since worked
with teachers to encourage children to unleash their creativity,
demonstrating how writing and communication skills can help
unlock lifelong opportunities.
Max from Pontefract won the Year Four category with a poem
entitled “Seven things found in my mum's Amazon
delivery”, while the older group winner, Ayeshah from
Calderdale, impressed the judges with a poem entitled
‘Primadonna'.
The 2025 winners will take the reins from West Yorkshire's first
ever young laureates Alina Brdar and Isabelle Walker, who
have performed at several high-profile events in the region over
the past 12 months, including the annual Convention of the North,
the British Library's 50th anniversary celebrations, and the
BBC's Contains Strong Language festival.
, Mayor of West Yorkshire,
said:
“Alina and Isabelle have been phenomenal ambassadors for young
creativity in our region over the past year, and I can't wait to
see Max and Ayeshah follow in their footsteps.
“Our region is bursting with talent and opportunities, and all of
these incredible young poets have bright futures ahead of them.
“We're building a region of learning and creativity in West
Yorkshire, where young people are empowered to follow their
passions and contribute to a stronger, brighter region.”
Simon Armitage, National Poet Laureate,
said:
“Language is constantly changing and young people are at the
forefront of those shifts in speech and writing.
“The young laureates help us see the world with new eyes, and
poetry offers a way for emerging generations to navigate their
way in a complicated world.
“The fourteen-year-old Simon Armitage would have loved to have
been part of a project like this - if only I'd thought of it
forty-odd years ago!”
Sharena Lee Satti, Project Manager at the National
Literacy Trust, said:
“Writing for pleasure among children and young people in
Yorkshire and the Humber is at an all-time low. We want to ensure
that no child misses out on the valuable wellbeing benefits of
writing for pleasure.
“The West Yorkshire Young Poet Laureate is empowering children
across the region to rediscover the joys of writing and to
express themselves through poetry.
“Our winners Max and Ayeshah will now go on to serve as
our second cohort of West Yorkshire Young Poet Laureates and help
inspire their peers throughout the region to pick up a pen and
give poetry a go.”
The brainchild of National Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, this
initiative is run by the National Literacy Trust and funded by
Mayor as part of her £2.3 million
‘You Can Make It Here' campaign. Her programme of investments are
designed to drive economic growth, boost skills, and inspire more
young people in West Yorkshire to explore careers in the creative
industries.
West Yorkshire's two new laureates were officially appointed by
the Mayor at a celebration event held at Mind The Gap in Bradford
today (26 January).
To find out more, please visit: https://literacytrust.org.uk/programmes/young-writers/west-yorkshire-poet-laureate-competition/our-winners.
Contact Information
Lauren Mackenzie
lauren.mackenzie@westyorks-ca.gov.uk
Notes to editors
About the National Literacy Trust
The National Literacy Trust is an independent charity that
empowers children, young people and adults with the literacy
skills they need to succeed. Reading, writing, speaking and
listening skills give you the tools to get the most out of life,
and the power to shape your future. For over 30 years the
National Literacy Trust has continued to support schools,
families and communities on a local and national level to help
people change their stories.
The search for West Yorkshire's second cohort of Young Poets
Laureate was launched by the National Literacy Trust in October
2024, following the release of the charity's research on children
and young people's engagement with poetry.
It found that more than half (51.2%) of children and young people
were shown to be missing out on the significant benefits of
engaging with poetry.
Children and young people who read, watch or listen to poetry
identified the huge benefits for their wellbeing, confidence,
aptitude for learning and empathy.
For young people who wrote or performed poetry, the benefits
extended to their creativity and self-expression of their ideas,
thoughts and feelings.
The Young Poet Laureate programme aims to challenge young
people's perceptions of poetry and to provide pupils with a
low-stakes and supportive opportunity to get involved in writing
creatively outside of academic requirements.
