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This Is Me Acrostics |
Poetry Competition
| Ideal for 5-7


This Is Me Acrostics Video

A simple way for every pupil to write a poem about themselves

Pupils choose a word that means something to them, then use its letters to create their own acrostic poem.

Their name. A favourite person. Something they love. Something they're good at. Their favourite animal, food, place, or hobby.

Simple to understand. Easy to personalise. Achievable for every young writer.


What could they write about?

Start with something they already know about themselves.

MY NAME

Words that describe me

THINGS I LIKE

Games, animals, places, colours, hobbies

PEOPLE I LOVE

Family, friends, teachers

THINGS I'M GOOD AT

Drawing, football, dancing, helping, making people laugh

MY FAVOURITES

Food, books, toys, songs, places

I AM...

Funny, kind, brave, curious, energetic, thoughtful

They already know the subject. It's them. We just help them turn their ideas into an acrostic.


Easy to start. Fun to make their own.

They already know the subject, so they can focus on choosing words, spotting sounds, and building their poem line by line.

PERSONAL TO THEM
They can start with things they already know: their name, favourite things, people they care about, and what makes them, them.
SIMPLE TO UNDERSTAND
The acrostic structure gives them a clear way to begin: one letter, one line, one idea at a time.
A REAL SENSE OF ACHIEVEMENT
Even less confident writers can build a complete poem and see something they've created from start to finish.


One simple activity; a poem they can be proud of...

This Is Me Acrostics is easy to run with a whole class. Get pupils thinking about themselves, choose a word for their acrostic, build it one line at a time, then send their poems in.

1
THINK
Gather ideas about themselves
β†’
2
CHOOSE
Pick their acrostic word
β†’
3
WRITE
Build their poem line by line
β†’
4
ENTER
Send them in



Everything you need, ready to use

We've made the first steps easy too, with ready-to-use resources to help pupils gather their ideas, understand acrostics and turn their thoughts into a finished poem.

GET THEM THINKING
Planning sheet β€’ Simple prompts help pupils explore their name, favourite things, people, interests, and what makes them unique.
SHOW THEM HOW
Video β€’ Introduce acrostics, explain how they work, and get the whole class ready to have a go.
GET THEM WRITING
Ready-made lesson plan β€’ Take pupils from their first ideas to a finished poem without planning the lesson from scratch.


Big learning from a simple idea

This Is Me Acrostics gives pupils a fun, accessible way to explore language, poetry, and self-expression while developing the writing skills you're already teaching.

EARLY WRITING SKILLS
Build sentences, make word choices, and develop ideas.

VOCABULARY & DESCRIPTION
Explore descriptive language to express personality, interests, thoughts, and feelings.

POETRY BASICS
Understand how an acrostic works and discover how structure can shape a poem.

WRITING CONFIDENCE
Experience the satisfaction of completing a poem and build confidence to keep writing and trying new things.


Imagine seeing their poem in a real book!

For a young writer, seeing their own words in print can make their achievement feel very special, building pride in what they've created and confidence in what they could write next.

Give your pupils the thrill of seeing their writing published in a real book; they'll also receive a Certificate of Merit to celebrate their achievement.

And everyone who enters receives a bookmark and a sticker for taking part.

And there are prizes to win...

FOR PUPILS
5 WINNERS
Our favourite 5 poets will each win an amazing goody bag.
FOR SCHOOLS
Β£1,000
for the school with the best set of entries.
PLUS every participating school receives a free copy of the book their pupils feature in. The more entries you send, the more free books you'll receive.

Ready to get your class writing?

Everything you need to introduce This Is Me Acrostics, help pupils find their ideas and get them writing is ready to use.

Closing date: Friday 23rd October 2026
Already completed your poems? Enter now β†’


Closing Date: Friday 23rd Oct 2026

We've worked with over 20,000 schools. Here's what some of them have to say...
β€œ
”

Great competitions and easy to use resources! Highly recommend to all literacy teachers

Mrs King, Steyning Grammar School
See more...

Printed Resources

Save money on printing, let us know how many you'd like of the resources below, and we'll pop them in the post for you!

Teacher Information Card
Pupil Entry Form

Enter Details to Download

You'll get instant access to free writing resources.
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You'll get access to...

Pupil Entry Form
Idea Generation Activities
Word Banks
Lesson Plan
Example Poems
Teacher Information Card
Teacher Entry Form
How To Write An Acrostic PowerPoint PDF
How To Write An Acrostic PowerPoint
Parent Information Guide
Mood Board Sheet

Competition Rules

To make sure your entries are valid, please follow the rules listed below:

Closing Date: Friday 23rd Oct 2026

THE POEM
  • Poems must be the pupil's own work.
  • Poems must be an acrostic.
  • Work can be on the entry form or handwritten/typed on an A4 sheet of paper.
  • An adult can scribe/type for a pupil where needed.
  • One entry per pupil.

WHAT TO INCLUDE
  • Each entry should include the pupil'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 pupils 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 23rd October 2026
Already completed your poems? Enter Now β†’

If you are unsure on any rules or have any queries, please don't hesitate to Contact Us.

For Schools

Β£1,000
The school with the best set of entries will win Β£1,000.
PLUS free books for participating schools.
Every participating school receives a free copy of the book their pupils feature in. The more entries you send, the more free books you'll receive.

For Pupils

5 WINNERS
Amazing goody bags
Our favourite 5 young poets will each win an amazing goody bag.
Everyone gets something.
Every entrant receives a bookmark and sticker, and young writers can have their poem published in a Young Writers anthology. They'll also get a Certificate of Merit.


(School and pupil winners will be chosen from entries received Sept-Nov 2026 and there is no purchase necessary. Winners are announced the following term. Image for illustration purposes only - contents may vary.)

Download Now

It’s easy to take part!

  1. Download entry forms
  2. Your students write or type their entry (or an adult can scribe) ensuring their name (or initials) and age are included
  3. Submit your entries using one of the options below

Enter Online

  Email

Email your entries to [email protected] and please ensure your pupils' names and ages are on their work, and that you include your name, school name and school address in your email. Thank you!

  Upload

Upload your entries

  Entrants type their entries online

Why not combine literacy and ICT by using the online writing portal? Entrants can type their work and you can submit them at the click of a button!

Writing Portal

  File Sender Services

You can use different file sender services to enter digitally, such as: WeTransfer, Google Classroom, Dropbox, Send Anywhere, Egress, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Smash, Files.com, Apple iCloud Drive, FileCloud

Please ensure your name, email and school name and address are included with your entries if you send entries digitally via a non-Young Writers service.

Download Now

Send by Freepost

Send your entries, along with your teacher entry form, to:

FREEPOST RSLY-AUJA-RAHY
Young Writers KS1
Remus House
Peterborough
PE2 9BF

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Get In Touch

Email
[email protected]

Tel
01733 890066

Post
FREEPOST RSLY-AUJA-RAHY
Young Writers KS1
Remus House
Peterborough
PE2 9BF

Closing Date: Friday 23rd Oct 2026