ROLL UP: Young readers from Abbots Langley invited to send in entries for poetry competition

Young readers are invited to get involved with ABBOTSnews’ children’s poetry competition.

The theme of this year’s competition is ‘What I love about my local area’. Entries can take on any form or style but must be no longer than 14 lines.

There will be two age categories for aspiring young poets to enter: ages six to eight and ages nine to 11. Entries will be judged by a panel, with local children’s poet Sarah Ziman as guest judge.

The winners will receive a special prize and have their poems published in the magazine alongside the runners-up.

The deadline for entries is Wednesday, May 1. Entries should be sent to newshub@mynewsmag.co.uk and should state the age of the entrant.

Here are some top tips for writing a winning entry:

1. Poetry often rhymes but it doesn’t have to.
2. Try using figures of speech like similes, metaphors and personification.
3. Think about how your poetry sounds – you might like to use onomatopoeia or alliteration.
4. Pay attention to how your poem looks on the page. You might like to try writing a shape poem.
5. Find something specific you can write about if you’re struggling. You might like to write about one special place or thing in your area that you like.