We are delighted to announce that Worcestershire’s Young Poet Laureate 2024 has been awarded to Iona Campbell!

Congratulations also to Bethany Lunney, crowned champion in School Years 9, 10, and 11, as well as to Olivia Harvey, winner of School Years 12 & 13.

Iona Campbell, our youngest ever winner, impressed the judges with her clever wordplay and effective performance. As Young Poet Laureate, Iona will take part in various projects throughout the year, having her work published, and performing at events and festivals. 

Hannah Perrott, Assistant Director for Communities, said: The Young Poet Laureate event is a wonderful annual tradition in our county. Congratulations to Iona and to all the finalists for taking part in this year’s final. We're excited to see how Iona will spread the joy of poetry in Worcestershire and beyond.

Elaine Knight, Arts Director, Severn Arts added: “Well done to all our finalists and congratulations to our fantastic winners! This year we had our highest number of competition entries so just getting to the final was a huge achievement. The standard of entries was very high, and we would like to thank everyone for taking part this year. The competition provides a wonderful opportunity for young poets to creatively express their thoughts and views. We’re looking forward to working with our new Young Poet Laureate over the coming year.  The 2024 Anthology will be out soon which will showcase a selection of poems from both our finalists and other entries.”

Worcestershire Young Poet Laureate is run jointly by Worcestershire Libraries and Severn Arts and funded by Public Health Worcestershire. The annual competition has been running for several years and aims to encourage young people to express themselves through poetry. It also provides a platform for young poets to showcase their work and gain recognition for their talent. 

Read Iona’s winning poems ‘Word Metamorphosis’ and  'A Second Line Deceit'.