Togetherness
Poetry Challenge
2024
A 32 Steps to Togetherness initiative, funded by The National Lottery
What is the Poetry Challenge?
Loneliness and divisive rhetoric are weighing in our lives as individuals and holding us back as a society. We need connection and community. Read our blog on why.
For some, writing can be therapeutic. With conflict across the world and climate change looming, we believe creativity and unity are vital. This is why we - Civil Society Consulting and Edinburgh Interfaith Association - are running a national poetry challenge.
Come together with other people across the UK to write a poem under the theme of Togetherness.
Open from March to 24 September 2024
Calling aspiring poets from all ages, different faiths, ethnicities and backgrounds!
You are encouraged to send us an image that illustrates your poem
Discover our panel of poets
We have an extensive panel of professional and community-oriented poets who will be the judging panel.
Aminah Rahman
Elizabeth Cook
Pascale Petit
Shasta Hanif Ali
Taresh Nadar
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You will have the opportunity to connect with other aspiring poets, as well as network with professional poets through online events and discussions.
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The Togetherness Poetry Challenge is part of an initiative called 32 Steps to Togetherness; by participating in the challenge you will be a part of a broader community of social action leaders.
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The challenge will bring you learning opportunities. We will host several workshops throughout the year, led by poets.
What will you get from participating?
With this initiative, we want to encourage people to express their emotions and come together to share their reflections. The project emerged from the wish to hear people’s voices, break isolation, celebrate diversity and encourage collaboration.
All poems will be published on our website. Some selected poems will go into an anthology, developed in partnership with literary partners TBA, shared on our Instagram, and via a postcast, with you reading, recording and discussing your poem. All participants will come together in a big celebratory event in November 2024.
What is Steps to Togetherness?
The Togetherness Poetry Challenge is part of a Civil Society Consulting initiative, funded by National Lottery Community, called 32 Steps to Togetherness.
At Civil Society Consulting, we have created a ‘manual’ of 32 actions that we - as individuals or as community leaders - can take to build connections within and between our communities. We are building a community of grassroots leaders - who live and breathe the steps through their work in/with marginalised communities. Follow us on Instagram.
The Poetry Challenge is running alongside, to raise awareness and counter the threat of intolerance and racism, including faith-related hatreds.
Read the 32 Steps to Togetherness manual here.
Read why we think connection and community is so important here.
Contact us for more information.
Funded by
How can I get involved?
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Submissions are open to anyone aged 18 or over, normally resident in the UK.
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Indicate your name or initials to attribute as the author, or whether you wish to write anonymously.
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Poetry theme: Togetherness. At Civil Society Consulting, we have produced a manual that provides 32 practical steps which we can take in our lives to build connections.
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The poem should be up to 45 lines in length.
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Send us your poem in your own preferred language. If you send it in a different language than English, please provide a translation.
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Submit by email, to mark@civilsocietyconsulting.co.uk either inserting your text within the email body or as an attachment – entries are free but encouraged to make a donation via CSC Local Giving page.
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Submissions may be accompanied by an optional related image attached to the submission email. Images must either be the participant’s own, or have permission granted for use or be free-to-use commercially. If participants do not wish to provide an associated image, the organiser may choose something appropriate or present the text without an image.
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Poems that use words, terms or phrases that are considered offensive, obscene, abusive, intolerant, sexist, racist or LGTBI-phobic won’t be accepted in the challenge.
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The judging panel will conclude which poems most fittingly respond to the Togetherness theme and award six prizes: one prize for £500 and five prizes of £100 each.
Notes & further information
The organiser, Civil Society Consuling CIC, is a not-for-profit that works to support, catalyse and energise civil society organisations by being a reliable source of excellent support, at low - or no cost. We believe civil society organisations are the key to health, equality and social solidarity.
The Challenge is run on a low cost basis funded by the National Lottery’s Bringing People Together grant programme – and also relies on the kind input of volunteers – so our capacity is limited.
Your name and email address will be used solely for the purpose of poetry collection and communication by the organisers and will not be shared with any other party.
By submitting content (poetry and any associated image), participants agree to the right of the organisers to publish it online and/or in hard copy form on a non-exclusive, royalty-free basis. You still own the copyright on your content and are not transferring that to the organisers.
The organisers reserve the right to not publish a submission text and/or image or to remove a previously published submission.
For further information, contact us through the organiser's Contact page on Civil Society Consulting’s website.
Prizes
The panel of poets will select six poems that best respond to the Togetherness theme. One prize for £500 and five prizes of £100 each.
1st prize
Ages 18 and over*
£500
*Age and resident on 7th March 2024.
Five further prizes
Ages 18 and over*
