Hillhead Primary School in Glasgow return to defend their title in national poetry competition

Hillhead Primary School in Glasgow, crowned Slam Masters and Individual winners at the Scottish Youth Poetry Slam, will return to this year’s competition to defend their title.

Article Source: Scottish Youth Poetry Slam
Last Updated: 26 March 2025 11:56

The talented young pupils have been selected to take part in the bi-annual competition which sees Scotland’s most talented young wordsmiths go head-to-head in a fast-paced, good natured, highly inclusive contest.

The competition encourages young people to embrace language through poetry and spoken word. It crosses traditional barriers by using fun, youth culture elements to nurture language and literacy and engages young people in literature and culture and upskills them with creative ways to manage mental health.

Lois Lurinsky, Deputy Head Teacher, Hillhead Primary School, commented: “We are delighted to be returning to this year’s Scottish Youth Poetry Slam. Lily Blake lifted the individual trophy last time, which was a great boost for her confidence. We’re hopeful our pupils will do just as well this year. We are really excited about it and proud to be representing Glasgow at the Slam.”

This year’s participating schools are from throughout Scotland – St Joseph’s Primary School, Helensburgh; St Ninian’s Episcopal Primary School, Perth; Cornton Primary School, Stirling; Findochty Primary School, Buckie in Morayshire and Hillhead Primary School in Glasgow.

Organisers are hoping to add one final group to take part and any schools interested should contact: rachel@confab.org.uk

As part of the competition, the young people will participate in music, poetry and performance workshops, led by professional writers and performers, including Glasgow-based performance poet, comedian, actor and writer, Viv Gee and poet, playwright and UNESCO artist in residence at University of Glasgow, Dr Tawona Sitholé. Workshops will take place during August and September, leading up to Scottish Youth Poetry Slam 2025 on 1st October 2025 at Perth Theatre.

This year’s final will be hosted by Hannah Lavery, an Edinburgh-based short story writer, poet, playwright and performer. The young people will be entertained by Glasgow’s Doctur Normul, who will perform bluesey folk punk vocals over guitar.

Now in its sixth year, the competition is supported by The National Lottery through Creative Scotland and partnered by Scottish Book Trust, Dyslexia Scotland, Scottish Poetry Library, Stirling Council and organisers, conFAB.

Beth Cochrane, Literature Officer at Creative Scotland said: “Previous years of the Scottish Youth Poetry Slam have inspired young people from across the country to write some fantastic poetry, and it is great to see its return. This is an opportunity for young people to nurture their passion for writing and performance. The chance to read their work in front of a live audience has been a life-changing experience for many previous participants, with it boosting confidence and providing a safe and inclusive platform to express themselves.”

The last Scottish Youth Poetry Slam took place at Perth Theatre in October 2022. The individual winner was Lily Blake from Hillhead Primary School, Glasgow with her poem ‘Don’t Be in Such a Rush to Grow Up’. The group winners were Cornton Primary School, Stirling with their poem, ‘All the Emotions’.

Rachel McJury from ConFAB, organisers of the event, commented: “It’s great to have the Scottish Youth Poetry Slam returning for a sixth year and we’re delighted to have Hillhead Primary School returning to defend their title! We can’t wait to welcome the young people back to represent Glasgow! They will get the chance to attend workshops where they will work with professional writers and performers to create poems on any subject. Some pupils will perform on their own and others will perform with their class. We’re looking forward to hearing what they come up with and we can’t wait to see them all perform!

“The competition is a great way to allow these young people to express themselves through words and compete against other schools. The Slam encourages them to express themselves freely and work with their fellow classmates to write and perform a poem for the final.”

This year, organisers are recruiting for two interns who will be in place from May until November. One internship will be a workshop facilitator and the other, a social media officer. The workshop facilitator will shadow the workshops and then create their own workshops for the winning group. The social media intern will create content for the competition, attend some of the workshops and the final, and take part in publicising the winners. Those interested should contact: rachel@confab.org.uk

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