THE Telegraph & Argus has teamed up with the Bradford Literacy Campaign and the Kirkgate Centre for an exciting new competition to give children a chance to become a published poet.

Open to all children aged between seven and 14 who live in the Bradford district, the Love Bradford poetry competition asks children to write a poem about what they love about the Bradford district, and winning entries will be published in a future edition of the T&A.

The other competition partner is First bus, which will display the winning poems in selected buses in Bradford.

There are two categories, one for entrants aged between seven and 10 and the other for 11-14-year-olds. The winner of each category will be awarded £100 worth of shopping vouchers for the Kirkgate Centre and a stack of books. Runners-up will receive a stack of books worth £50.

Judged by an expert panel including local poet, Joolz Denby, who wrote the poem ‘Bradford’ in celebration of her home city, the competition aims to inspire a love of writing in the district and provide a platform for budding poets.

The competition is part of a wider initiative run by the National Literacy Trust Hub in Bradford to inspire and motivate reluctant writers, especially boys, to do more creative writing.

The National Literacy Trust’s Bradford Hub Manager, Imran Hafeez, has channelled his passion for creative writing and performing into a programme for schools which encourages pupils to explore the poetry genre, as a well as writing and performance poetry techniques. The project, called Our Stories, has been developed with Bradford Museums and Galleries, Bradford Council’s Music and Arts Service and the Bradford Literature Festival.

Designed for Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3, the Our Stories programme includes a resource pack for teachers which features fun activities that correspond to literacy requirements across Years 6–8 and includes work by local contemporary poets and spoken word artists including, Joolz Denby, Hafeez Johar and Michelle Scally Clarke. Poetry is being brought to life through workshops run by local writers plus a session with a music tutor to engage children in recording and performing their work.

After piloting an approach to teaching poetry with Mehwash Kauser, a teacher at Appleton Academy, a resource called Great poetry through time for Year 9 pupils was developed in partnership with the National Literacy Trust Hub in Bradford. It blends contemporary music with traditional poetry and builds on teenage boys’ enthusiasm for contemporary rap to engage them with the work of Chaucer and Shakespeare. The resource makes poetry relevant to pupils by illustrating its use throughout history as a vehicle for self-expression and exploring complex issues in society.

Imran Hafeez, the National Literacy Trust’s Bradford Hub Manager said: "Bradford has a great legacy of creative writing thanks to legends like J.B Priestley whose statue guards the entrance of the National Media Museum and the Brontës who were inspired by the Bradford district’s rugged moors.

It’s an art which is still going strong here today. I’m really honoured to be working with talented writers and teachers to develop resources which convey our passion for language, so that both teachers and pupils can enjoy exploring poetry together and feel inspired to create their own work.

“Creative writing is a great way for children to express themselves and look at their surroundings in a new light. Children who read and write for enjoyment do better at school, so the Bradford Literacy Campaign is all about supporting the development of these vital skills. We’re encouraging kids who might never have considered writing a poem to pick up a pen and get scribbling about life in Bradford.”

The competition is open to all residents in the Bradford District aged between seven and 14-years-old and is free to enter. Entries can be sent to jo.franks@literacytrust.org.uk or post to Jo Franks, 68 South Lambeth Rd, London, SW8 1RL by 5pm on February 29. Teachers can download an entry form from www.ourstories.org.uk