Imogen (Year 12) wins the Simon Powell Poetry Prize

Her journey took an exciting turn when she attended ‘Poetry Live!’ with Leweston, a nationwide tour of some of the set GCSE poets who feature in the AQA Poetry anthology, including Simon Armitage, John Agard, and Carol-Ann Duffy. Inspired by the live performances, Imogen stumbled upon the Simon Powell Poetry Prize competition and felt compelled to submit her own work. The competition is open to the thousands of students who attend the event and 10 winners are selected to read their work on the same stage as the published poets.

Having previously only won short story competitions at school, entering her first national competition and emerging as a winner was an extraordinary triumph for Imogen. As part of her prize, she spent an enriching day at the Barbican in London, guided by acclaimed contemporary poets Imtiaz Dharker and Daljit Nagra. She has also been invited to showcase her poem at the Poetry Live! Event in Bristol on 12 February.

Imogen’s English teachers are thoroughly impressed by her growth and achievements. This incredible and motivating experience has fuelled her passion for creative writing even further. She dreams that this will be the stepping stone to her ultimate goal of becoming a celebrated author.