Divine Chocolate, the Fairtrade and farmer-owned chocolate company, has launched its 15th annual national Poetry Competition in partnership with Christian Aid. The poetry competition aims to take young people on a voyage of discovery about the world of chocolate, cocoa farmers and Fairtrade, firing their imaginations and encouraging their creativity.
The theme for 2017’s competition is ‘Sharing tastes Divine’, encouraging entrants to think about the joy of tasting and sharing chocolate with friends, and the fair price and a share of the profits farmers receive too.
Leading the judging panel is Laura Dockrill, author of the Darcy Burdock book series and a young and talented performance poet, author/ illustrator and short story writer.
Laura says; “I adore original writing. I look for poems that take brave risks, where an idea jumps off the page and is explored through beautiful language, description and form. Poems that come from the heart, that are full of feeling. I feel so privileged to be reading new work for the Divine Chocolate & Christian Aid Poetry Competition and can’t wait to read the submissions with a lovely cup of tea!”
Leading the judging for the Welsh language panel is Anni Llŷn, Children’s Poet Laureate for Wales.
As well as cherishing chocolate, the competition encourages young people to develop a greater understanding of where their food comes from, the people behind it and the potential challenges facing our food industry. Educational resources are available from Trading Visions, the sister charity of Divine Chocolate including lesson plans, videos and more, including a day in the life of Raphael, the son of a cocoa farmer in Ghana.
The judge’s pick of the best poems in each category will win a selection of gifts including book tokens and tasty treats from Divine. For more information on the competition and Divine’s story visit www.divinechocolate.com/uk/
The Divine Poetry Competition is open to UK&I residents aged 7+ years. Closing date 30.04.17. Terms and conditions apply.
Entry forms and poems must be returned by 30th April 2017 to:
- English poems by email: poetry@divinechocolate.
com - English poems by post: Poetry, Divine Chocolate, 4 Gainsford Street, London, SE1 2NE
- Welsh poems by email: cymru@cymorth-
cristnogol.org - Welsh poems by post: Cystadleuaeth Barddoni Divine, Cymorth Cristnogol, Llys Porth yr Eglwys, 3 Heol yr Eglwys, Yr Eglwys Newydd, Caerdydd CF14 2DX
The winners of the competition will be announced and read by Laura on Divine Chocolate’s YouTube channel after the closing date of the competition.
Laura Dockrill was named as one of the top ten literary talents by The Times and one of the top twenty hot faces to watch by Elle magazine. Her sassy and unique way with words has captivated audiences everywhere from gigs and festivals including Glastonbury and Latitude, to radio and TV programs such as Woman’s Hour, Newsnight and BBC breakfast. As well as performing, Laura now as an impressive eight books under her belt, including the Waterstones shortlisted Darcy Burdock series which has been translated into 12 languages. Currently she is working on a script for a film, writing a new YA novel, and has even taken her hand to songwriting. In the words of Vogue magazine, ‘Everyone’s falling for Laura Dockrill.’
Find out more about her at www.lauradockrill.co.uk. Follow her on Twitter at Twitter.com/LauraDockrill.