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[Title] => Unite
[Description] => When the world divides, words connect...
[Subheading] => What matters to your students?
[Age] => Ideal for 11-18
[Intro] =>
Their friends. Their family. Their community. A team they belong to. Something they love. Something they'd change. A cause they believe in. A place that matters. A hope for the future.
Unite is an open-themed poetry competition, so every student can start with something that matters to them.
They can take Unite at face value and write about connection, teamwork, or bringing people together, but they don't have to... Their poem could be personal, funny, thoughtful, hopeful, angry, or powerful. It could explore a tiny moment in their own life or something happening in the wider world.
There are no restrictions on style or theme. Poems can be up to 80 lines.
Need a starting point?
Not every student will know immediately what they want to write about. Try one of the four routes below and see what sparks an idea.
Find your poem idea
Start with the one that feels most like you. There is no right answer.
MY PEOPLE
Write about someone, or a group of people, who matters to you.
A best friend • someone in your family • your team • your community • someone you miss • someone who inspires you
MY WORLD
Write about a place, experience or part of your life that matters to you.
Where you live • your culture • school • nature • a favourite place • a memory • something you do every day
MY VOICE
Write about something you believe in, care about or want to change.
Something that feels unfair • a cause • something that makes you angry • something people misunderstand • a message you want heard
OUR FUTURE
Write about the kind of world you'd like to be part of.
Hope • kindness • belonging • celebrating difference • working together • a dream for the future • making things better
Still stuck? Start with one person, one place, one feeling, or one thing you'd change. Your poem can grow from there.
Their poem. Their subject. Their voice.
Unite gives students the freedom to write about something they actually care about, in a style that feels like their own. They can be funny, personal, passionate, imaginative, hopeful, angry, or thought-provoking.
Whether they're confident writers or usually the ones saying "I don't know what to write", there's a way into Unite... And getting them started doesn't mean planning a poetry unit from scratch...
One lesson. We've done the planning.
Unite is easy to run with a whole class. Introduce the idea, help students find their starting point, give them time to write, then send us their poems.
The competition can fit around what you're already teaching, or you can run it as a ready-made poetry activity on its own.
1
INTRODUCE
Share the idea
2
INSPIRE
Find a starting point
3
WRITE
Create their poem
GET THEM STARTED
Intro video • Idea activity • Example poems
GET THEM WRITING
Ready-made lesson plan • PowerPoint • Poetry techniques guide
GET THEM ENTERED
Entry forms • Printable and online entry options
More than a poetry competition
Unite gives students a reason to explore ideas, experiment with language, and communicate something that matters to them.
CREATIVE WRITING
Experiment with language, form, and poetic techniques.
SELF EXPRESSION
Develop an individual voice and communicate ideas with purpose.
CONFIDENCE
Give students a meaningful reason to write and share their work.
DISCUSSION & REFLECTION
Explore experiences, viewpoints and the world around them.
Supports English, literacy, PSHE, enrichment and creative writing across KS3 and KS4.
Perfect for National Poetry Day on 1st October 2026!
Give their writing a real audience
This isn't just another piece of work that gets marked and disappears into an exercise book.
Students could see their poems published in a real book and receive a Certificate of Merit.
Every entrant also receives a bookmark.
And there are prizes to win!
FOR STUDENTS
1ST PRIZE
Beats headphones £100 Amazon voucher
2 × 2ND PRIZES Kindles
3 × 3RD PRIZES £50 cinema vouchers
FOR SCHOOLS
£1,000
Young Writers' Award of Excellence
PLUS every participating school receives a free copy of the book their students feature in.
The more entries you send, the more free books you'll receive.
Ready to get your students writing?
Everything you need to introduce Unite, inspire ideas, and get your students writing is ready to use.
Closing date: Friday 6th November 2026
Need the details?
Jump straight to what you need.
[Rules] =>
THE POEM- Poems must be the student's own work.
- Poems can be written in any poetic style and use any poetic techniques.
- There is a limit of 80 lines.
- Work can be handwritten or typed.
- An adult can scribe/type for a student where needed.
- One entry per student.
WHAT TO INCLUDE
- Each entry should include the student's name, age, and school name.
- Initials or first names only can be used where necessary.
- If there is anything we should take into consideration when reading the work, please note this on the entry.
SENDING YOUR ENTRIES
- There is no limit to the number of students a school can enter.
- Where possible, please submit entries together.
- Include one Teacher Entry Form per teacher.
- If entries need to be kept separated by class, please submit a separate Teacher Entry Form for each class.
- Entries can be completed on the student entry form, written on an A4 sheet, typed, or submitted through the Online Writing Portal.
GOOD TO KNOW
- Free to enter.
- No purchase is necessary to win.
- Copyright remains with the author.
- Open to UK entrants only.
Closing date: Friday 6th November 2026
[School Prizes] =>
£1,000
The school with our favourite set of entries will win
£1,000 & the Young Writers' Award of Excellence.
PLUS a free book for every participating school.
You'll receive one free copy of the book featuring your students' poems for every 30 entries you submit.
[Student Prizes] =>
1ST PRIZE
Beats headphones £100 Amazon voucher
2 × 2ND PRIZES
Kindles
3 × 3RD PRIZES
£50 cinema vouchers
Every entrant receives a bookmark.
Young writers whose work we'd love to publish also receive a Certificate of Merit.
(School and student winners will be chosen from published entries received in the autumn term 2026 - no purchase necessary. Prizes will be awarded the following term.)
[Tips] =>
[YouTube] => iKDMIZws2wY
[Opens] => 2026-08-16
[Closes] => 2026-11-06
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[Post Class] => SS
[Orion Teacher Year] => KS3
[How to Enter] =>
[Winners Subheading] =>
[Winners Intro] =>
[Winner Word] =>
[Schools/Clubs] => Schools
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[Independent Intro] =>
What matters to you?
Your friends. Your family. Your community. Something you love. Something you'd change. A cause you believe in.
Everyone has something they care about. Unite is your chance to turn yours into a poem.
There's no set theme with Unite. You could write about something personal, something happening in the world around you, something you believe in, or the kind of future you'd like to see.
The important bit? Write about something that matters to you.
Not sure what to write about?
Start with the one that feels most like you - there's no right answer.
MY PEOPLE
Write about someone, or a group of people, who matters to you.
A best friend • someone in your family • your team • your community • someone you miss • someone who inspires you
MY WORLD
Write about a place, experience or part of your life that matters to you.
Where you live • your culture • school • nature • a favourite place • a memory • something you do every day
MY VOICE
Write about something you believe in, care about or want to change.
Something that feels unfair • a cause • something that makes you angry • something people misunderstand • a message you want heard
OUR FUTURE
Write about the kind of world you'd like to be part of.
Hope • kindness • belonging • celebrating difference • working together • a dream for the future • making things better
Still stuck? Start with one person, one place, one feeling or one thing you'd change. Your poem can grow from there.
Make it yours...
Write a poem about something that matters to you.
It can be personal, funny, thoughtful, angry, hopeful, serious, or completely unexpected. You can use any poetic style and any poetic techniques you like.
The main rule: keep it to 80 lines or fewer.
ANY STYLE
Free verse, rhyme, spoken-word style, acrostic, haiku, or something entirely your own.
YOUR VOICE
You don't need to sound 'poetic', write in a way that feels natural to you.
UP TO 80 LINES
Long enough to say something meaningful, short enough to keep it focused.
What if your poem was published?
You've written something that matters to you. Now imagine seeing your words in a real book.
You have the chance to see your poem published in a Young Writers anthology alongside writing from other young people across the UK.
Young writers whose work we'd love to publish also receive a Certificate of Merit recognising their achievement.
Your words. Your voice. A real audience.
And there are prizes to win...
1ST PRIZE
Beats headphones £100 Amazon voucher
3 × 3RD PRIZES
£50 cinema vouchers
Ready to enter?
Your poem can be written on an entry form, on a sheet of A4 paper, or typed. When it's ready, choose the easiest way to send it to us:
POST
Include your name and full address and send your poem to:
Young Writers Unite
Remus House
Peterborough
PE2 9BF
Closing date: Friday 6th November 2026
[Independent Rules] =>
YOUR POEM
- Your poem must be your original work.
- There is no word limit, but we recommend staying under 750 words.
- Only one entry per person.
- Please note on your entry if there is anything we need to take into consideration when reading your work.
PREPARING YOUR ENTRY
- Your poem can be written on the entry form, an A4 sheet of paper or typed.
GOOD TO KNOW
- Free to enter.
- UK entrants only.
- No purchase necessary to win.
- Copyright remains with the author.
[Independent Prizes] =>
1ST PRIZE
Beats headphones £100 Amazon gift card
The first-place poet will win a pair of Beats headphones and a £100 Amazon gift card.
2 × 2ND PRIZES
Kindles
Two second-place winners will each win a Kindle.
3 × 3RD PRIZES
£50 cinema gift cards
Three third-place winners will each receive a £50 cinema gift card.
PLUS
Every entrant receives a bookmark. We also award a
Certificate of Merit to all young writers whose work we'd love to publish.
Winners will be chosen from published entries received in the autumn term 2026. No purchase necessary. Independent entrants are eligible to win. Prizes will be awarded the following term.
[Meta Title] => Secondary School Poetry Competition | Unite
[Meta Description] => A free poetry competition for 11-18 year olds. Inspire students to write about what matters to them, with free classroom resources and fantastic prizes.
[Meta Keywords] => secondary school poetry competition, poetry competition for teenagers, poetry competition 11-18, creative writing competition, secondary school writing competition, poetry activities secondary school, teenage poetry competition
[Share Title] => Unite: Write About What Matters to You
[Share Description] => From the people and places that matter to the issues they care about and the future they want to see, Unite gives young writers the freedom to make their voices heard.
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[Category] => Secondary 11-18
[Type] => poetry
[Country] => UK
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[date_created] => 2026-08-17 20:20:53
[last_updated] => 2026-11-03 10:57:33
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