The Poetry by Heart Competition is a national poetry speaking competition for schools and colleges in England. The competition is open to pupils in KS2 through to KS5.

To take part, young people choose poems they love, learn them by heart, and perform them in a school or college competition. Teachers then record and submit a video of the winning performances for review by a panel of expert judges.

There are two competition categories for young people:

• Classic: This National Championship is a solo competition where the young person must learn and perform two poems from the Poetry by Heart website – one published in or after 1914 and the other published before 1914. National Championship judging follows a formal set of criteria and focuses on voice, understanding, performance and accuracy.
• Freestyle: The Freestyle category is a celebration for solo, pair, small group and whole class performers. Young people learn and perform one poem of their choice from any time period and can include any combination of voice, movement, costume and music. Freestyle selection focuses on a compelling and original performance of the poem.

Schools can submit up to three entries per key stage for both the Classic and Freestyle categories. In addition, schools can enter up to three entries by members of staff or trainee teachers for the Freestyle category.

Finalists in the National Championship and selected participants in the Freestyle category are invited to perform at a Poetry by Heart Grand Finale event at Shakespeare’s Globe in London where the National Champions for each key stage are announced.

Poetry by Heart provides a range of support to help schools run the competition in their setting. These include:

• A competition pack including a handbook, poetry calendar and a set of poetry posters for the classroom or library.
• Access to online resources and guidance.
• Regular online drop-in sessions during term-time where practitioners can ask questions and get advice directly from the Poetry by Heart team.

Timetable:

• Registration for the competition opens on National Poetry Day (3rd October 2024).
• Schools can submit their video entries until Friday 4th April 2025.
• The participants selected to perform at the live Poetry by Heart Grand Finale will be announced on 7th May 2025.
• The Poetry by Heart Grand Finale event takes place in July.

Cost: Free with registration.

About Poetry by Heart: Poetry by Heart was founded in 2012 by former UK Poet Laureate (1999-2009) Andrew Motion and educator Julie Blake as a way to encourage young people to explore and engage with poetry. It is now a collaboration between The Full English; The Poetry Archive; The Poetry Society; Forward Arts Foundation/National Poetry Day; the English Association; the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education;  the National Association for the Teaching of English; Homerton College, University of Cambridge; Shakespeare’s Globe and Oxford English Dictionary.