Seaweek Poetry Competition closing soon

A love of the ocean first inspired Zarah Otto to enter the Seaweek Poetry Competition and eventually her whole family was bitten by the “poetry bug”.

It’s time to put your best poems forward for the 2016 Seaweek Poetry Competition, organised by the National Aquarium of New Zealand. It closes at 4pm Thursday 18 February.

Zarah, of Napier, was just six when she first entered the competition and she won a prize. Her whole family decided to try their hand at writing too, and they now submit poems to the competition every year, says her Mum Emily. “We love the ocean and all things in it. We all come at it from different perspectives.”

She urged anyone unsure about whether to submit a poem to just give it a go and not be afraid of trying.
The theme for this year’s competition is Healthy Seas Healthy People – Toiora te Moana – Toiora te Tangata, the same as the nationwide Seaweek, which runs from 27 February to 6 March.

There are five categories to choose from; primary, intermediate and secondary school age, adult, and Te Reo, which is open to all ages.

In past years the popular competition has drawn entrants from all over the country. “Many of our past winners are not experienced poetry writers, but what has always shone through is their love of the sea,” says Aquarium Education Team Leader Carol Larson.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Seaweek Poetry competition, judged by Marie Dunningham, Jo Morris and Tryphena Cracknell. Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated are again sponsoring the prizes for the Te Reo category.

All entrants will be invited to the Poetry Reading Evening held at the Aquarium on Thursday 3 March at 7pm where winning entries will be read and prizes awarded.

The Seaweek Poetry Competition is just one of the initiatives run by the education team at the Aquarium.  More than 6000 students participate in the Aquarium’s range of education programmes every year.

For more details about the 2016 Seaweek Poetry Competition or to find out about events happening locally during Seaweek, visit www.nationalaquarium.co.nz

To find out more about Seaweek and its aims, go to www.seaweek.org.nz