Tower Poetry is committed to inspiring young people to engage with, and enjoy, poetry in all its forms. To achieve this, a range of resources and opportunities are offered by Tower Poetry to help make poetry accessible to all.

Tower Poetry Competition

The annual Tower Poetry competition is the most generous of its kind, offering a total of £5000 in prize money each year to six young poets and a further £150 per winning school. Hundreds of aspiring poets from across the UK enter each year, writing up to 48 lines on the set theme.

Tower Poetry Educational Resources

Following the temporary closure of British schools owing to COVID-19, Professor Peter McDonald produced a short series of Tower Poetry talks on particular poems that are often studied at A-Level. These resources are freely available on Tower Poetry's YouTube channel.

Tower Poetry Summer Schools

Tower Poetry's biennial summer schools offer 18-23 year olds the opportunity to deepen their understanding of poetry, network with other young poets, and develop their own poetic voice with support from established, professional poets. Applicants to the residential summer school are accepted on the basis of their written work; tuition and accommodation costs are funded by Tower Poetry.

Access & Outreach Initiatives - Christ Church

Tower Poetry supports the Horizons Programme run by Christ Church's Admissions & Access team, which is targeted at state schools and colleges in Christ Church's London link area, Barnet. In 2019, over 70 students participated in a series of poetry workshops which encouraged them to think about what poetry is and what poetry means to them. The sessions were designed to challenge existing conceptions about poetry, and to help students explore poetry's relevance in the modern world.

Recently, the Tower Poetry Administrator participated in the Christ Church Tuesday Tasters programme, discussing early medieval poetry with students from non-selective state schools in Christ Church's link areas. The academic tasters enable students to engage with material beyond the educational curriculum; the session on poetry also helped to foster a deeper appreciation of poetry and literature.

Useful Links

The list below suggests a few starting points for young people and teachers to discover more about poetry.