APRIL 22, 2016
Toronto, ON — Poetry In Voice/Les voix de la poésie is proud to announce the winners of its sixth annual poetry recitation competition, held yesterday in Toronto at the Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles Street West. In the country-wide competition, students competed for the opportunity to take home $5,000 in each category.
The nine student winners are:
English Prize Stream
Enzo Campa from Windsor, Ontario won the first prize of $5,000, and $1,000 for Assumption College's library (with $500 reserved for the purchase of poetry books) for the best combined score of three recitations in English.
Nebou N’Diaye of St-Hyacinthe, Québec won the second prize of $1,000, and $500 for École secondaire St-Joseph's library for the purchase of poetry books.
Hannah Goodridge from Vancouver, British Columbia won the third prize of $500, and $250 for Little Flower Academy's library for the purchase of poetry books.
Bilingual Prize Stream
Marie Foolchand from Toronto, Ontario won the first prize of $5,000, and $1,000 for École secondaire Étienne-Brûlé's library (with $500 reserved for the purchase of poetry books) for the best combined score of one poem in English and one poem in French.
Elizabeth Vaz from Vancouver, British Columbia won the second prize of $1,000, and $500 for Little Flower Academy's library for the purchase of poetry books.
Gabrielle Nebrida-Pepin from Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, won the third prize of $500, and $250 for École des Pionniers-de-Maillardville's library for the purchase of poetry books.
French Prize Stream
Juliette Rolland Apergis from Montréal, Québec won the first prize of $5,000, and $1,000 for Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf's library (with $500 reserved for the purchase of poetry books) for the best combined score of three recitations in French.
Geneviève Cantin from Montréal, Québec won the second prize of $1,000, and $500 for Cégep de Saint-Laurent's library for the purchase of poetry books.
Jeanne Cantin from Québec, Québec won the third prize of $500, and $250 for Collège François-de-Laval’s library for the purchase of poetry books.
During the two-day National Finals, students not only met other young poetry lovers and performers from all over Canada but also took part in writing workshops run by poet and Creative Director Damian Rogers and poet Paul Savoie. Teacher chaperones had the opportunity to attend a pedagogical workshop led by our Educational Consultant Liisa House. The students also attended a private screening of Brian D. Johnson’s critically acclaimed documentary Al Purdy Was Here. Yesterday nine finalists competed in front of a sold-out enthusiastic audience comprised of Toronto students and teachers.
“There is a great benefit at being able to stand up without any notes and speak in front of an audience, and have the confidence to do that,” said Scott Griffin, founder of Poetry In Voice and The Griffin Trust For Excellence In Poetry.
This year, 875 schools registered with the Poetry In Voice website, more than 50,000 students learned a poem by heart, and poems were viewed more than two million times through our online anthology. The National Finals included 39 finalists from secondary schools and Collèges d’enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEPs) from across Canada. Yesterday’s event was the final contest; all of the finalists had already won their classroom and school contests before going on to advance from regional and online semifinals.
About Poetry In Voice:
Poetry In Voice aims to promote poetry in the classroom and the community. Poetry In Voice is a national recitation competition, reaching across Canada, for secondary school and Collège d’enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEP) students. It serves to engage students in an appreciation of the beauty of language through poetry, while at the same time instilling a sense of confidence through the art of public speaking.
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
.