The u3a national poetry competition is back for its fourth consecutive year, with the theme of ‘What If’.
Any u3a member can enter the competition and should submit their work on the poetry competition page of the u3a website. Members are asked to write a maximum of 16 lines on the theme ‘What If’, with judging taking place from the end of January 2024. The winner will be announced in April 2024.
One of our judges is the u3a national subject adviser for Creative Writing, Marcia Humphries. Marcia has been judging this competition since its inception and says,
“The poetry competition began during lockdown, as a way of helping u3a members to pass the time. It proved popular, so it has become an annual event, attracting large numbers of entries. It is open to all u3a members, whether or not they belong to a writing group.
When we set a theme for the competition, we try to use something general, that will spark imaginations into life. This year's theme is What if. It's a theme rather than a title, and gives plenty of scope for past, present & future. What if Henry VIII had only had one wife? What if we could only use cars one day a week? What if in future gardeners are only allowed to grow vegetables?”
We hope to see many entries this year and look forward to reading what you have written.
Want to read last year's winning poems? Read u3a Poetry Competition 2022-3 Results.
Want to hear more from Marcia? Listen to November’s edition of the u3a Radio Podcast to hear more about creative writing in the u3a movement.