Poetry Competition

Deadline

16th July，2020

Who may enter

The competition is open to anyone.

Description

The Ledbury Poetry Festival is the biggest poetry festival in the UK. It takes place over ten days each July. If you think you know what poetry is, come along and we'll surprise you. There are live readings, performances, music, exhibitions, films, family events and street events.

Each year we organize a famous competition for new poetry in partnership with Ty Newydd, the National Writers' Centre of Wales. It attracts entries from all over the globe. There are three groups: adults(18 + ) , young people(12-17) and children(under 12).

All poems must be the original works of the entrants and should not have been previously published, accepted for publication by magazines, or have entered in other competitions.

The length of each poem must be more than 40 lines.

The judge of the 2020 Ledbury Poetry Festival Poetry Competition is Liz Berry.

Entry fees

Adults: £5. 75 for the first poem, £3. 50 for each extra poem.

Children/Young People: The first poem free, £1. 75 for each extra poem.

Prizes

Adults' Prizes

• First Prize: £l,000 cash and a course at the National Writers' Centre of Wales

• Second Prize: £500 cash

• Third Prize: £250 cash

Young People's Prizes

• First Prize: £l00 cash

• Second Prize: £50 cash

• Third Prize: £25 cash

Children's Prizes

• First Prize: £25 book token(购书券)

• Second Prize: £15 book token

• Third Prize: £l0 book token

Website

Please visit https://www.poetry-festival, co. uk/ledbury-poetry-competition to learn more about the competition.

Passenger pigeons (旅鸽) were the most common birds in all of North America in the 1800s. It was common to see large groups of passenger pigeons — groups that made a sound like a storm. But today, they are extinct because of human behavior. Now, some scientists want to bring passenger pigeons back to life by using new technology and scientific ideas. They call this process de­extinction.

De­extinction has not happened yet. It is still just an idea. The process of de­extinction is not easy. First, scientists must collect DNA from the bodies of extinct animals. Then they will put it in the eggs of similar animal species. When these animals become adults, they will have babies. And these baby animals will have the DNA of the extinct animals.

Scientists believe it is possible to bring back passenger pigeons and many other animals. However, not everyone thinks this is a good idea.

Stuart Primm is the world's leading expert on modern animal extinction. He believes that bringing extinct animals back to life is bad for the earth. On one hand, these animals no longer have a safe place to live. On the other hand, they could cause other animals to die.

Many other scientists do not agree with Stuart Primm. Stuart Brand, a writer and scientist, is one of them. He believes de­extinction is good for many reasons.

"The current generation (当代) of children will experience the return of some unusual animals in their lifetime. It may be part of what defines their generation and their attitude to the natural world. They will take their parents to zoos to see the growing populations of passenger pigeons, and maybe even dodo birds. This will provide a good deal of money for zoos busy with extinct species restoration (恢复). Humans killed off a lot of species over the last 10,000 years. So, it's right to bring some back to life," he said.

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway and it just wasn’t worth to retrieve the donkey. So, he decided to bury it!

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly, then slowly he quieted down till nothing more was heard.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well, and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing! He would shake it off and take a step up!

As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells by not stopping, never giving up, shaking it off, and taking a step up!

Everyone wants to succeed in their life, don't they? Even as a teenager, you can achieve success in your life; it really isn't that hard. Follow the steps below.     16    !

Do well in school. No matter how boring it is now, education will help you be a productive member in society. Try your best, listen to the teachers, do your homework, study, and get good grades.     17    , which will enable you to get a great job in the future. School sets you up on the right track!

Be nice to your parents and teachers.     18    . Respect them and value their opinions, even if they make you slightly angry sometimes. Keep in mind that they do the things they do because they care about you and want you to succeed in life. You don't get to choose your teachers or your family, but you still have to put up with them. Learn how to deal with people now, because when you're an adult, you don't get to choose your boss or your co-workers, so learn how to respect them now.

    19    ! Friends are there to support you and lift your spirits. Be with people who make you happy, and stay away from the ones who don’t. Create a group of supportive, loving friends that can help you succeed in life and live your dreams. Find a few really good friends that will stick with you once you leave high school.

Get active! Join a sports team at school or out of school. Go for a run around your neighborhood. Take your dog on a nice, long walk, go swimming, do sit-ups-anything! Just exercise!     20    . Studies show that people who get active in their child/teen years will be more active when they're adults, so start getting active now.

Over the years, I never thought of my father as being very emotional. He never was, ________ not in front of me. My father never told me he loved me when I was a child, and never held it against him. I thought that all I really wanted was for my dad to take________in me.

On November 9^th, 1990, I received________that my National Guard unit would be sent to the front. I went on to my father and gave him the news. I could feel he was ________about my going. We never________it much more, and eight days later I was gone.

A few days after Thanksgiving I was able to call my wife. She told me that my father said his usual Thanksgiving prayer (祷告). But this time he________ one last sentence. As he lowered his voice and a tear ran ________his cheek, he said, “ Dear Lord, please________over and guide my son, Rick, with your hand in his time of need as he ________ his country, and bring him to home________.” At that point he burst into tears. I had never seen my father cry, and when I heard this, I couldn’t help but cry myself.

Eight months later, when I returned home from________, I hugged my wife and children in tears. When I came to my father, I gave him a huge hug. He whispered in my ear, “ I’m very proud of you, Son, and I love you.” I looked at that man, my dad,________ in the eyes as I held his head between my hands and I said, “I love you too, Dad,” and we hugged again. And then together, both of us cried.

Ever since that day, my ________ with my father has never been the same. We have had many ________ conversations. I have learned that he’s always being proud of me, and he’s not afraid to say “I love you” any more.________ am I. I’m just sorry it has taken more than 30 years and a war to find it out.