2021-2022 Poetry Contest Winners
Open from October 27, 2021, and closed on February 28, 2022, the Democracy & Me Poetry Contest received over 140 entries from children and youth across British Columbia. Among the participants were students from over 50 public and independent schools representing more than 40 communities throughout the province.
The contest invited participants to think about the importance of community, civic engagement, and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and democracy. These concepts are critical to the wellbeing of our society, our political institutions, and are woven throughout B.C.’s K-12 school curriculum. The contest’s participants were grouped into three categories. Each category had its own guiding question and winner:
| Kindergarten to Grade 4 Question: How can I use my voice to help my community? |
Simon (Grade 2, Vancouver) |
| Grades 5 to 8 Question: How can my voice help our democracy? |
Keeratveer (Grade 7, Surrey) |
| Grades 9 to 12 Question: How can my voice help strengthen our democracy? |
Maryam (Grade 11, Richmond) |
The final judging was conducted by the Honourable Janet Austin, OBC, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia; the Honourable Raj Chouhan, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly; and Zoe Duhaime, editor, writer, illustrator and the City of Victoria’s 2015 Youth Poet Laureate.
Explore the following links to view the winners, finalists, and all other entries from each category. Congratulations to all of the participants who submitted such brilliant and meaningful poetry!
| K to Grade 4 | Grades 5 to 8 | Grades 9 to 12 |