Christ Church launches nationwide search for young poets This autumn, Christ Church, Oxford launches an exciting new competition for young poets in UK schools and colleges. Entry to the competition is free. Judges in this first year include Andrew Motion, the Poet Laureate, and Paul Muldoon, Oxford Professor of Poetry. As part of this, the College is launching the Christopher Tower Poetry Prizes, which aim to encourage the writing of poetry amongst young people in the 16-18 age group by establishing an annual set of prizes for the best poems on a set theme.
Creative writing is an increasingly important aspect of literary education.
Learning about writing poetry helps students who are beginning to think about ways of reading poetry. More broadly, the encouragement of writing in this age group can foster the kinds of creative appreciation that are central to a mature understanding of and contribution to cultural life in the future. It takes the operations of an Oxford College beyond the more usual scope of recruiting future students, and into the classroom as a positive contribution to the conditions for fostering poetry and its appreciation.