The competition is free to enter and is open to children age 8 to 18 (Year 4 to Year 13). We can only accept up to four entries from each school for each part of the competition (i.e up to four entries for Mother Tongue, and up to four entries for Other Tongue).
An entry to the Mother Tongue competition should be in two parts. The first part is a poem. This can be an original, creative piece, or a poem or song that is ‘remembered’ – i.e. this could be something in the pupil’s first language that they recall, or that has been told to them by a relative. It can be in any language but English. The second part of the entry to the Mother Tongue part of the competition should be a short explanation of the inspiration behind the piece, where it comes from, and why it is important. This should be no more than half a page of writing. It must be written in English and is the part on which the entry is judged.
An entry to the Other Tongue competition should be an original poem written in a language that is not the pupil’s first language. In the North West region we can accept entries in French, German, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, Urdu and Mandarin.
For both parts of the competition, judging is based on the written work and not the artwork. However, we usually have many beautifully illustrated entries and encourage pupils to consider the presentation of their work.
What to include with your entry
Each entry must be accompanied by a cover sheet.
How to submit your entries
Work should be submitted by post only - sorry we are unable to accept email entries. All entries must reach us by the 8th June 2016.
Remember to include a cover sheet for each entry providing all the information we require.
Post your entries to:
Routes into Languages North West
Geoffrey Manton Building
Department of Languages, Information and Communications
Manchester Metropolitan University
Rosamund Street West
Off Oxford Road
Manchester
M15 6LL
