Poetry In Voice/Les voix de la poésie is back for its fourth year, and the stakes have been raised yet again as the contest has grown to include over 360 schools from all over the country. The National Finals will be held on May 8 and 9, 2014, in Vancouver, BC. This marks the first time that the annual poetry recitation competition will hold its National Finals outside of Toronto; in future, the National Finals will be held in a different Canadian city each year.
Founded by Scott Griffin, chairman and founder of the The Griffin Trust For Excellence In Poetry, the competition aims to promote the art of poetry recitation in both the classroom and the community. The competition begins at the classroom level, and is followed by a school-wide contest, then progresses to Online Semifinals, and concludes with the National Finals.
“This year’s event held in Vancouver underlines the fact that PIV/LVP is a national, bilingual competition that is truly Canadian — next year it will be held in Montreal,” said Griffin.
Thirty-nine students from around the country will advance to the National Finals in Vancouver. The top-scoring finalists will compete for championship titles before a large audience of poetry lovers at the Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre in Vancouver (149 West Hastings Street) on May 9 at 7p.m. Prizes will be awarded in the English, Bilingual, and French competition streams:
| 1st prize: | $5,000 for the student |
| $1,000 for the school’s library ($500 reserved for poetry books) |
| 2nd prize: | $1,000 for the student |
| $500 for poetry books for the school’s library |
| 3rd prize: | $500 for the student |
| $250 for poetry books for the school’s library |
About Poetry In Voice:
Poetry In Voice is a national recitation competition, reaching across Canada in English and French, for secondary school and Collège d’enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEP) students. By engaging deeply with classic and contemporary examples of English- and French-language poetry through memorization and performance, students make poetry their own. This year, Margaret Atwood has joined poet Dionne Brand on the Poetry In Voice Board of Directors.
About The Griffin Trust For Excellence In Poetry:
The Trust was founded in April 2000 by chairman Scott Griffin, along with trustees Margaret Atwood, Carolyn Forché, Robert Hass, Michael Ondaatje, Robin Robertson, and David Young. By funding the Griffin Poetry Prize — the world’s largest prize for a first edition single collection of poetry written in, or translated into, English — The Griffin Trust For Excellence In Poetry aims to spark the public’s imagination and raise awareness of the crucial role poetry plays in our cultural life, a mission shared by Poetry In Voice.
Website: poetryinvoice.ca
Twitter: @PIV_LVP
Facebook: Poetry In Voice/Les voix de la poésie
For interview requests, please contact:
Damian Rogers at 416.993.5683
or damian@poetryinvoice.ca