Today, Thursday 10 March 2022, the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) announces the judges for this year’s CLiPPA. Poet and former professor of Creative Writing at the University of South Wales Philip Gross will chair the 2022 judging panel. He is joined by fellow poets Nikita Gill and John Lyons, Becky Swain, Director of the new Manchester Poetry Library at Manchester Metropolitan University, and Charlotte Hacking, Learning and Programme Director at CLPE.
Louise Johns-Shepherd, Chief Executive of CLPE, said, “In CLPE’s 50th year we are delighted to be launching CLiPPA 2022 with a fantastic panel of expert judges, a return to a full programme of live poetry events, and record numbers of children from across the country expected to take part in the Shadowing Scheme. The CLiPPA raises the status of children’s poetry, introducing so many children to poets and poems they wouldn’t otherwise meet and encouraging everyone to find joy and excitement in the reading and performing of poetry.”
Philip Gross says, “Poetry for children and young people is stretching its limbs in all directions – up and down the age range, on to the borders of the novel, biography, science or song, outwards into live performance and inwards to the thoughts and feelings you’ve never had words for before. So many different ways of being excellent… Think how hard that makes it to be right at the heart of it, where the CLiPPA sits, trying to select a winner. I’m looking forward to chairing the judges as they go through the submissions, hunting for poems that will prompt that gasp from young readers, ‘I never knew poetry could do that for me…’ and ‘I didn’t know you could do that with poetry. Let me have a go!’”
The shortlist will be announced live at Manchester Poetry Library at Manchester Metropolitan University on Wednesday 4 May, at the first of a series of live CLiPPA events. Further celebrations will take place at The Globe on 20 June, as part of the Poetry By Heart competition finals, with a very special CLiPPA Poetry Show planned for the announcement of the winner on 8 July 2022. The venue plus details of the special guests taking part will be revealed shortly.
Registration for the 2022 CLiPPA Shadowing is now open and teachers are encouraged to sign up immediately.
CLiPPA key dates 2022
- 1 March, Shadowing Scheme registration opens
- 4 May Shortlist announcement, Manchester Poetry Library at Manchester Metropolitan University
- 17 May, Shadowing Scheme opens
- 20 June, Shortlist celebration with Poetry By Heart, The Globe
- 8 July Winners announced, central London venue to be announced
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