Poetry By Heart, the national poetry speaking competition for schools, is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2023.

Founded by former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion and current co-director Dr Julie Blake, Poetry By Heart is open to all schools and colleges in England. It invites young people to choose poems they love, learn them by heart and perform them in a school or college performance event. School staff then select students to enter the national round of the competition, submitting videos of their poem performances.

Explaining why the Poetry By Heart competition is so important to him, Andrew Motion says, “Ever since I first started reading poetry in earnest, more than forty years ago, I’ve always thought its meaning has as much to do with sound as it does to do with sense. Poetry, crucially, is an acoustic form. It’s emotional noise. That is why it’s often able to move us before we completely understand it. Its sounds allow us to receive it in our hearts, as well as in our heads.”

His vision has been embraced by schools. Poetry by Heart estimates that 200,000 young people have learned poems and otherwise participated in Poetry By Heart since its launch in 2013.

The 2023 competition is open now and an invitation to take part has been sent to every primary and secondary school in England. Registration, participation and competition entry are free, and the Poetry By Heart website offers a wealth of resources and support materials for teachers including a wide range of suggested poems, classic, contemporary and diverse, including many written by living poets.

The grand finale of the 2023 competition is a special celebration taking place at Shakespeare’s Globe on Monday 26th June at which pupils from every region of England will perform live alongside some of the UK’s top poets.

In another new development, awards will also be presented to schools or colleges or other educational settings that have done something extra special to make Poetry By Heart more diverse, more creative or more inclusive.

“Including Key Stage 2 and 3 children along with older children has allowed us to have a full range of readings,” says Professor Daljit Nagra, Poet and Poet-Advisor to Poetry By Heart, “We have more categories than ever before, and this has broadened the way children can appreciate a poem, from the straightforward speaking of the poem, to a group performance, to musical accompaniment; and to other forms of delivery which we may have not imagined but our children have dreamed up.”

Poetry By Heart expects that record numbers of schools and colleges will participate in 2023. “Taking part in Poetry By Heart is all about developing confidence with poetry in an enjoyable, accessible and engaging way,” says Julie Blake, “Our research with teachers shows that participation supports curriculum development, builds literacy skills, and increases enjoyment of poetry across the whole school. The Poetry By Heart team is here to help you whenever you’re ready to get started. No question is too large or too small and we have dozens of tips, suggestions and resources to help you tailor it for your pupils in your school.”

The competition is open from now until the closing date midnight, Friday 31st March 2023. More details and a competition guide are available on the Poetry By Heart website.