Poetry Writing Competition

Newspaper Blackout Poetry!

Words Go Round wants your students to be creative with newspapers! This year’s contest, inspired by poet and cartoonist Austin Kleon, challenges students to black out a poem.

$300 Kinokuniya book vouchers are up for grabs for each Top Prize winner! And just as awesome, you can be a literary star as all winning entries will be published in the newspapers! Teachers, you stand to win a Livescribe pen and Moleskine notebook for roping in the most number of participating students.

What are you waiting for? Newspaper Blackout Poetry opens for submission on 1 January 2015, so get those markers out and start composing!

Entries in English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil are accepted.

Take part now

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HERE'S WHAT TO DO

WITH MARKER

Step 1: Choose a newspaper article that is no bigger than A4 in size (in either landscape or portrait orientation).

Step 2: Scan or take a digital picture of the article (be sure it’s readable).

Step 3: Use a marker to black out the words that are unwanted, leaving the unmarked words behind to form a poem. Distortion of the original newspaper text is not allowed.

Step 4: Scan or take a digital picture of the poem (be sure it’s readable).

Step 5: Upload the original article followed by the poem.

Helpful tip: Use a pencil to circle all of the words for the poem before blacking out the rest of the words in the article.

WITHOUT MARKER

This version will require you to use an image editing programme.

Step 1: Choose a newspaper article that is no bigger than A4 in size (in either landscape or portrait orientation).

Step 2: Scan or take a digital picture of the article (be sure it’s readable). Save the file on your desktop.

Step 3: Open the file with an image-editing programme like Paint or Photoshop.

Step 4: Black out the words in the newspaper text to form a poem. Distortion of the original newspaper text is not allowed.

Step 5: Upload the original article, followed by the poem.

HOW IT WORKS

ELIGIBILITY

Each student can only submit 1 entry. If more than 1 entry is submitted, the first entry submitted will be the only one eligible.

This contest is open to all students in Singapore, from 7 to 19 years old, of any nationality, who are studying full-time in a Singapore-based school.

The three age categories are:

1. Junior: 7 to 11 years old
2. Youth: 12 to 15 years old
3. Senior: 16 to 19 years old

Entries in all four official languages – English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil – will be accepted.

JUDGING

After submissions close on 5 February 2015, a panel of judges will score the entries and select the 3 top entries per category per language. These 3 entries will then be uploaded online for public voting which will start on 11 February and close on 27 February.

The popular vote will count for 50% of the final score. Our judges’ scores will count for the other 50%.

1 top prize winner and 2 merit winners will be chosen based on the above scores.

The winners from each category, as well as the teacher with the most number of participating students, will be notified via e-mail.

PRIZES

Top Prize: $300 Books Kinokuniya Book Vouchers

Merit Prize: $100 Books Kinokuniya Book Vouchers

Teacher with the most number of participating students: Livescribe Pen & Moleskin Notebook

TERMS & CONDITIONS

The National Arts Council reserves the right to:

1. use the submitted entries – in their original language or in translation – of the competition (Words Go Round 2015) for publicity and non-commercial purposes.

2.  use the contact information provided to get in touch with the participants whose entries are selected.

3. not award entries in the top prize category.