Conor Shields, Community Arts Partnership’s Chief Executive, launched the Poetry in Motion Schools Poetry Anthology “Write to the Heart”, and announced the winner of the 2021 Seamus Heaney Award for Achievement on Thursday 25th March. The award is part of Community Arts Partnership’s Poetry in Motion Schools project. As always, the standard of the work by students from schools right across Northern Ireland was of an extremely high standard.
The Winner of the Seamus Heaney Award for Achievement 2021 was Kathleen Malone, Belfast Royal Academy, for her poem ‘Daniel’s Piano’
Those students below were Highly Commended for the Seamus Heaney Award for Achievement 2021
Niall Blaskett, Belfast Royal Academy
Chelsea-Leigh Fennell, St Genevieve’s High School,
Jenna Ferguson, St Dominic’s Grammar School
Cara Logue, St Patrick’s Primary School, Maghera
The winning School for the Seamus Heaney Award for Achievement 2021 is the Abbey Christian Brothers’ Grammar School, Newry
Seamus Heaney
This award recognizes Seamus Heaney’s immense contribution to Northern Irish literature and the award is acknowledged by the Heaney family.
The Poetry in Motion Schools Project connects students with professional published poets who provide mentoring through CAP’s LaVA programme (Literature and Verbal Arts).
This year, due to the Covid19 crisis and the restrictions placed upon us during Lockdown including, obviously, school closures, Community Arts Partnership was unable to host a live showcase of the Poetry in Motion (Schools) project students’ work; the showcase normally takes place in the Ulster Hall with 1000 students in attendance. At that event, participants read and perform their own poetic writing.
The project is funded by Community Arts Partnership’s principal funder, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Community Arts Partnership is also funded by Belfast City Council.
