Emirates Literature Foundation has announced that its competitions for schools are now open for 2023, celebrating champion readers, storytellers, poetry performers, and the craft of fine handwriting.
Students with a talent for poetry performance can showcase their interpretation of a favourite poem in the Emirates NBD sponsored Poetry For All, while young writers can show off their writing skills in the Oxford University Press Story Writing Competition, and their beautiful penmanship in the Royal Grammar School (RGS) Guildford Dubai Children’s Letter Writing Competition. And schools can compete against each other in the Chevron Readers’ Cup to show who comes top with their knowledge and understanding of the selected books. All competitions are open to full-time students and are held in Arabic and English.
“Our competitions are a highlight on the school calendar” said Isobel Abulhoul, CEO of the Emirates Literature Foundation. “They are hugely popular with students, parents, and teachers. They allow young people the chance to expand their love of reading, create their own inspirational stories and wow the judges with their public speaking skills. Plus, it gives them the special opportunity to engage with a like-minded community that love and appreciate books and literature.”
Participants can register online via the Emirates Literature Foundation’s website. The finals and award ceremonies for the competitions will be held during the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in February 2023.
Emirates NBD Poetry for All, the Chevron Readers’ Cup, the Royal Grammar School Guildford Dubai Children’s Letter Writing Competition and the Oxford University Press Story Writing Competition, open for entries
Poetry for All
The Poetry for All competition, sponsored for the seventh consecutive year by Emirates NBD, is open to students across two age group categories, 8-13 and 14-18. This year, there is a new category that will be open to people of determination ages 8-18.
Performers compete in several preliminary rounds, with the grand finals held during the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in February 2023. Registration for the competition is open online until 17 October 2022 at https://www.elfdubai.org/en/poetry-for-all-competition
Readers’ Cup
This is the eleventh year of the inter-school Readers’ Cup competition, which is sponsored by Chevron. The competition is divided into two age categories – Primary Schools (up to age 11) and Secondary Schools (ages 12-16). Teams are provided with books written by a variety of celebrated authors on which the quiz questions are based. After a virtual elimination round, the top 20 teams from each age category will advance to the final, battling for first place in a live ‘read-off’ held at the Festival.
Teams can register for the competition online at https://www.elfdubai.org/en/readers-cup. Registrations close on 5 October 2022.
All competitions are open to full-time students and are held in Arabic and English.
The Children’s Letter Writing Competition
The RGS Guildford Dubai Children’s Letter Writing Competition gives young people the chance to show off their letter writing skills, celebrating both the aesthetic of fine handwriting and the art of composing a well-crafted message.
Letters should be written to an ‘old friend’ telling them about a book that you will always cherish. The competition is divided into four categories: Ages 8-10, 11-13, 14-18, and people of determination ages 8-18. Entries must be submitted before 5 December 2022. More information about the competition is available here https://www.elfdubai.org/en/letter-writing-competition
Clare Turnbull, Principal at The Royal Grammar School Guildford Dubai said: “We are thrilled to be sponsoring the RGS Guildford Dubai Children’s Letter Writing Competition for the second year in a row. We love that the competition gives young people the opportunity to delve into and explore their creative side through the wonderful world of words and as judges of the competition too, we cannot wait to see what compelling writing and interesting storytelling the entrants dream up this year.”
The Story Writing Competition
Young storytellers have the chance to make their mark by entering the Story Writing Competition and draft their masterpieces inspired from the theme ‘Old Friends.’Entries are invited from full-time students in schools, colleges and universities in the UAE with the competition divided into age-specific categories: 11 and under, 12-14, 15-17 and 18-25. The winners will be honoured in a special ceremony held during the Festival and will have their entries published in an anthology.
The deadline for submission is 24 October 2022. For the guide on requirements and submission details, see https://www.elfdubai.org/en/story-writing-competition
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