Montreal, April 22, 2021 - Poetry In Voice is proud to announce the National Finals winners! These nine finalists have won their school contests, the online qualifiers, and the semifinals. In total, they stood out from among 10,000 other competitors.
The show can still be watched on the National Finals webpage, and all the recitations can be found on the recitation videos webpage.
A jury composed of poets Mathew Henderson, Evelyn Lau and Damian Rogers evaluated the English recitations; Nicole Brossard, Georgette LeBlanc and Hector Ruiz evaluated the French recitations. Johanne Blais, former CBC host, was once again our host for the evening.
Krystyne Griffin, co-founder of Poetry In Voice/Voix de la poésie, emphasized the importance of poetry and its recitation: "Hearing poetry, especially when it is recited with such skill, is an infallible remedy when everything seems to be slipping away. Thank you for sharing your love for these poems with us."
And the winners are:
English Stream
For the best combined score of three recitations in English
- Thierney Dignadice wins first prize of $3,000 with an additional $1,000 toward the purchase of poetry books by her school library, Lord Selkirk Regional Secondary School, Selkirk, Manitoba. (left)
- Zara Smith wins the second prize of $2,000 with an additional $500 for the purchase of poetry books by her school, West Point Grey Academy, Vancouver, British Columbia. (right)
- Al Gilbert wins the third prize of $1,000 with an additional $250 for the purchase of poetry books by his school, Kildonan-East Collegiate, Winnipeg, Manitoba. (center)
Bilingual Stream
For the best combined score of one poem in English and one poem in French
- Sarah Hamdi wins the first prize of $3,000 with an additional $1,000 towards the purchase of poetry books by her school library, University of Toronto Schools, Toronto, Ontario. (left)
- Philip Nedelev wins the second prize of $2000 with an additional $500 for the purchase of poetry books by his school, Toronto French School, Toronto, Ontario. (right)
- Rachel Lyonnais-St-Martin wins the third prize of $1,000 with an additional $250 for the purchase of poetry books by her school, Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, Montreal, Quebec. (center)
French Section
For the best combined score of three recitations in French
- Romy Magdalena Pueyo wins the first prize of $3,000 with an additional $1,000 towards the purchase of poetry books by her school library, Collège Beaubois, Pierrefonds, Quebec. (right)
- Reda Hessi wins the second prize of $2,000 with an additional $500 for the purchase of poetry books by his school, École internationale de Montréal, Quebec. (left)
- Lysiane Kouakou wins the third prize of $1000 with an additional $250 for the purchase of poetry books by her school, Sir Winston Churchill High School, Calgary, Alberta. (center)
Earlier in the day, these nine finalists joined the semifinalists in workshops offered by poets Adam Sol, Chloé Savoie-Bernard and Adriana Oniță. The poets addressed, respectively, the power of metaphors, the connection between intimate and political, and poetic translation, three themes that resonated with the young poetry lovers.
The public can still watch the National Finals on poetryinvoice.ca. In total, more than $35,000 have been awarded during this National Poetry Competition.
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About Poetry In Voice/Les voix de la poésie:
Founded by Scott Griffin, chairman and founder of the illustrious Griffin Trust for Excellence In Poetry, Poetry In Voice/Les voix de la poésie is a registered charity that inspires students across Canada to read, recite, and write poetry. In addition to running two national student recitation competitions and many local team recitation contests, the organization also provides an anthology of classic and contemporary poems, comprehensive teaching materials, and a network of over 300 poets who visit classrooms, create educational materials, and judge recitation contests, all at no cost to schools or teachers. Poetry In Voice/Les voix de la poésie acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.