Opportunity for children to read own poem at festival

The winner of the children's poetry competition will be invited to read their poem on stage at the Latitude Festival

A music festival in partnership with the BBC is launching a poetry competition for children.

Latitude Festival and BBC Radio Suffolk announced the launch of the competition, inviting children from across Suffolk aged seven to 11 to unleash their creativity.

The theme has been centred around the environment with the winner having the opportunity to open the festival by reading their poem on stage.

Four judges - BBC presenters Angelle Joseph and Sarah Lilley, poet Luke Wright and Latitude's arts curator Kirsty Taylor - will pick the winner after entries close on 28 June at 22:00 BST.

Big acts including Duran Duran, London Grammar, Kasabian and more have been announced for Latitude's 2024 line up

The BBC Radio Suffolk Poetry Competition 2024, which celebrates imagination and expression, is open now.

Poems should be no longer than 200 words and convey the entrant's passion for the world we live in.

Three finalists will be invited to attend Latitude with their families before the overall winner reads their poem on The Waterfront stage.

The three finalists' poems will also be published on the festival's website and be broadcast on BBC Radio Suffolk.

Ms Taylor said the festival was "thrilled" to launch the competition and she "could not wait to see how young people interpret our theme of the environment".

Similarly Ms Joseph said the competition "was a great way to connect voices and hear a young person's perspective on something as broad as the environment".

Ms Lilley added she was "excited to be part of a judging panel that will give its winner such an incredible opportunity".

"An experience and memory that I’m sure will last a lifetime," she said.

Mr Wright added that the competition would help "discover a new generation" of poetry talent.

For details of how to enter - go to bbc.co.uk/radiosuffolk, where you can also see full Terms and our Privacy Notice. Nominations close on Friday June 28th at 10pm.