BCU Presents Benjamin Zephaniah
Future Writers
In celebration of the life and rhymes of BCU Honorary Doctorate and national treasure Benjamin Zephaniah, who was an extraordinary poet, a passionate writer and a 探花直播 icon.
Competition returning on 15 May 2025
About Benjamin Zephaniah
Born and raised in Handsworth, 探花直播, Benjamin Zephaniah became a national treasure through his writing and extraordinary poetry, later becoming an actor, a musician and a professor of poetry and creative writing. His love of animals, nature, and his strong beliefs in human rights, made him popular with many. Benjamin drew on his lived experiences of dyslexia, incarceration, racism and his Jamaican heritage, and he aimed to make his work accessible for all. His writing shaped generations of both adults and children, and he left a remarkable legacy on the city he was born and the nation he called home.
The competition
Returning for its second year, BCU Presents: Benjamin Zephaniah Future Writers encourages both children and adults to submit their own poems around a theme.
The theme
This year鈥檚 theme is inspired by Benjamin Zephaniah鈥檚 poem 鈥楴ature Trail鈥�, encouraging budding writers to submit poems about the environment, the spaces where they spend their time, the impact of nature on their everyday life, and the importance of looking after the planet.
The categories
- Year Three and Year Four
- Year Five and Year Six
- Year Seven, Year Eight and Year Nine
- Year Ten, Year Eleven, Year Twelve and Year Thirteen
- Young Adults (18-29)
- Adults (30+)
The prizes
First place
- A brand new Kindle Paperweight and 拢25 voucher
- A family membership for 探花直播 Botanical Gardens (December 2025 - December 2026)
- A family membership for the National Trust (December 2025 - December 2026)
- Two tickets to use at 探花直播 REP
Second place
- A brand new Kindle Paperweight and 拢25 voucher
- A family membership for 探花直播 Botanical Gardens (December 2025 - December 2026)
- Two tickets to use at 探花直播 REP
Third place
- A brand new Kindle Paperweight and 拢25 voucher
- Two tickets to use at 探花直播 REP
All winners will have
- Their poem displayed as part of a nature trail at 探花直播 Botanical Gardens from March 2026 - July 2026, as well as a day pass to visit the venue to find their poem
- A certificate and a framed piece of their poem
- A Benjamin Zephaniah book
- Their poem included in the Future Writers Winners Anthology and their own copy
- A selection of merchandise from National Trust and 探花直播 Botanical Gardens
The judges for the 2025 Competition
Ade Adepitan
BCU Chancellor, TV Presenter and Author
Ayan Aden
探花直播 Poet Laureate 2024-2026
Shaherazad Umbreen
Director of Brand & Marketing at National Trust
Professor Gregory Leadbetter
Professor of Poetry at BCU
Madeleine Kludje
Deputy Artistic Director at The REP 探花直播
Selina Brown
Founder of the Black British Book Festival and Author
Naush Sabah
Lecturer in Creative Writing at BCU and Editor of Poetry 探花直播 Literary Journal
Ty'rone Haughton
Artistic Director at Apples and Snakes
Key dates
Sponsors and partners
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National Trust
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PBLJ
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探花直播 Botanical Gardens
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Apples and Snakes
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Benjamin Zephaniah
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The REP
Competition rules
- Line count for poems - 30 lines
- Every submission requires a title
- One submission each
- Submit before the deadline of 5pm 21 July 2025
- Only submissions via the online form
- Own original work only, no AI generated texts allowed
- Poems and stories must be written in English
- Submissions only from UK residents
- All submissions to include address, date of birth, contact number and email
- Parental authorisation for under 18s
- Individual submissions only
- Permission to reproduce and use your work in marketing materials
- To withdraw entry email futurewriters@bcu.ac.uk
- Prizes to be claimed within three months
A full list of terms and conditions can be found .
FAQs
Awards Ceremony 2024
Take a look at the Awards Ceremony 2024 photo gallery.
Get in touch
Have any questions about the competition or keen to receive competition materials? Get in touch with the Future Writers team today.