Inspired by 5 years of The Lost Words book by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris we invited children to write an acrostic poem about their favourite plant or animal and the responses were just awe-inspiring. We had thousands of incredible entries from schools nationwide and are very grateful for all your time and effort. A Massive thank you to Robert Macfarlane for helping us with the impossible task of judging. We are thrilled to announce the winners of our competition below! 

Winner of the 7-9 age category

The winner of the 7-9 age category is Anouska from The Manor CE Primary with a wonderful poem about moss.

Moss by Anouska

Mosaics of mint, lime and apple flourishes on bark
Oh enchanting flora your soft strands have me in a trance of curiosity
Sparkling dew adorns your plush cushioning silky wishes
Sweet rusles and low whispers surely there secrets for me.

 

Winner of the 10-12 age category

The winner of the 10-12 age category is Mina from James Allen’s Prep School with a beautiful poem about ghost orchids.

Dendrophylax Lindenii (Ghost Orchids) by Mina

Ghosts have come to haunt the town!
Hidden away from the blazing light,
Ominously opening their pale buds
(Ghost Orchids, Queen of flowers)
Swinging with the handsome breeze
Tilting their heads and, polite and serene
(Ghost Orchids, Queen of flowers)
Oscillating to and fro from their perches,
Reeling in victims of their dance
Cautious and you'll be safe from those
Haunting masked Queens
(Ghost Orchids, Queens of Hallucination)
If you don't, then in despair, you'll fall under the spell of,
Dendrophylax lindenii, Queen of the ghosts.

 

Runner up for the 7-9 age category

Our runner up for the 7-9 category is Aveek from Eltham College Junior School who wrote a poem about giant sequoias with a great picture too.

Giant Sequoia! by Aveek

Giant Sequoias, you are fighters,
In Earth's history, for a hundred million years.
A record breaker –
Never ending height,
Thickest trunks with wood and bark, soft and light.

Sequoiadendron Giganteum is your name,
Earth's living fossils, also your fame.
Quick growing and adapted to the environments,
Under the ground roots get nutrients,
On the top, high up in the trees, cones are found,
In the cones the starting energy is bound.
An amazing tree, living around.

 

Runner up for the 10-12 age category

Our runner up for the 10-12 category is Ellabeth from Dringhouses Primary School and her brilliant poem about mushrooms.

Mushroom by Ellabeth

Mycelium tangles and twists beneath the earth
Umbrella hats covered in speckles of white
Stumps of wood lay rotted and covered with plates of fungus
Home to many mythical creatures from fairies to gnomes
Rare to common kind's sprout from the shrubbery
Over and amongst the foliage waiting to be found
Once it has been discovered do not touch nor eat
Mushrooms should only be seen no other senses must be keen

 

Congratulations to all our winners and to everyone who entered. Thanks to you all this competition has been a huge success, converging poetry, art and nature across the country.