Poetry Competition 2025

School Years 4-5 Category Highly Commended

“Honey the Bunny”
By Amelia Gordon

Honey the bunny, so fluffy and sweet,
Hops through the meadow on tiny soft feet.
Her fur is like sunshine, all golden and bright,
She nibbles on carrots from morning till night.
She wiggles her nose when she’s happy or glad,
And cuddles up close when I’m feeling real sad.
Oh, Honey, my bunny, you’re my bestest friend,
We’ll play in the grass till the day’s very end!

School Years 4-5 – Highly Commended – Judges Comment
“Honey the Bunny”

A warm and affectionate poem that paints a joyful portrait of a beloved pet bunny. The poet uses gentle rhyme and soft, comforting imagery,“fluffy and sweet,” “golden and bright”, to create a cheerful mood. Small details like nose-wiggling and cuddles bring Honey the Bunny to life! This is a charming poem full of love with a great grasp of rhyme and rhythm.

School Years 6-7 Category Winner

“The Name of War”
By Mattew Scott

The sight of blood, filling my eyes,
The hailing ashes, and endless slashes,
The piling corpses, and painful goodbyes,
All in the name of war.

The ringing gunfire, endless screams,
The death by wire, the hopeless dreams,
All in the name of war.

The metallic taste, between my lips,
The smell of death, the burning flesh,
A strangled cry, a final breath,
All in the name of war.

The reek of corpses, the endless forces,
They remain, in my brain,
This infernal game…
Was it worth the pain?
Or was it all in vain?

School Years 6-7 - Winner – Judges Comment
“The Name of War”

This poem is full of effective imagery that works well to convey the detailed horror experienced on the battlefield. The young poet makes great use of sensory language from sight to sound to taste to smell; all this builds a harrowing picture of the experience of the first person. Narrator. An immediate and visceral take on a moment of conflict. The title is echoed in the refrain at the end of each stanza and finally questioned in the last line of the poem: Is it worth it?