Unlock Your Creativity with the Stephen Spender Prize 2025

The Stephen Spender Prize: Guide for students and teachers 2025

What is the Stephen Spender Prize? The Stephen Spender Prize is an annual competition for poetry in translation that celebrates the creativity of young people across the UK and Ireland and their teachers! The Prize has categories for schools, teachers and individual young people, which welcome translations from all languages, as well as a special Spotlight strand that each year focuses on a different widely spoken language. To get involved, the rules are simple: translate into English any published poem from any language, or choose a poem from the Portuguese Spotlight booklet, and come up with an accompanying creative response, for your chance to join the Stephen Spender Prize hall of eternal fame! This year s competition is open for entries from 1 May until 31 July 2025, and entry to all the categories is free. Stephen Spender Prize 2

What are the different categories? The Stephen Spender Prize 2025 has three main strands for young people: Schools Laureate Prize For teachers submitting entries on behalf of students, with categories at KS1-2, KS3, KS4 and KS5. Translate ANY published poem from ANY language, and write a short commentary or come up with a video, audio, artwork or creative writing-based response to the poem. Individual Youth Entry For young people submitting their own translations, with age categories at 14-and-under and 18-and-under. Translate ANY published poem from ANY language and write a short commentary. Portuguese Spotlight Translate a poem from the Portuguese Spotlight Booklet, and write a short commentary or come up with a video, audio, artwork or creative writing-based response to the poem. Entries can be submitted individually by young people or by teachers on behalf of pupils, with categories at KS1-2, KS3 and KS4-KS5. Stephen Spender Prize 3

What are the different categories? Alongside the Prize categories for students, teachers can also try their hand at poetry translation with the free-to-enter Teacher Laureate Prize, open to all teachers at schools that have entered pupils for the Schools Laureate Prize or Portuguese Spotlight. Every year, the Stephen Spender Trust also awards three Outstanding Teacher Commendations to teachers and/or language departments who show exceptional engagement with the Prize. Stephen Spender Prize 4

Schools Laureate Prize The way for teachers to get students of all ages involved in the Stephen Spender Prize!

Schools Laureate Prize Specially designed for teachers submitting entries on behalf of students. Open to all schools in the UK and Ireland including homework clubs, Saturday schools, private tutor groups and home-schools and British schools overseas. Translate a published poem from ANY language, and accompany your translation with one of the following creative responses: A written commentary (max. 300 words) A video or audio commentary (max. 1 minute) A video or audio reading of the translated poem, or a passage from it (max. 1 minute) An original visual representation of the poem (e.g. a freehand drawing or collage) An original piece of creative writing inspired by/building on the themes of the poem (e.g. a short story, an original English-language poem, or a non-fiction essay/think piece; max. 300 words) Stephen Spender Prize 6

Schools Laureate Prize Four age categories: KS1-2 (Primary: P1-7) KS3 (Secondary: S1-3) KS4 (Secondary: S4) KS5 (Sixth form/Further education: S5-6) Each school can submit up to five entries per age category (max. one entry per student). Pair and group entries welcome. Publication and book prizes for the winners, plus the chance to participate in a virtual Celebration Event in the autumn and to have a video reading of their translation featured on the Stephen Spender Trust YouTube channel. Full details at: https://www.stephen-spender.org/stephen-spender-prize/schools-laureate- prize/. Stephen Spender Prize 7

Individual Youth Entry Are you a budding poet aged 18 or under? Submit your own translation to our individual youth categories!

Individual Youth Entry For young people taking part independently. Open to all young people aged 18 and under in the UK and Ireland, as well as to pupils at British schools overseas. Translate a published poem from ANY language, and write a short commentary about the translation process (max. 300 words). All forms and genres welcome, including texts from rap, spoken word and slam poetry. Two age categories: 18-and-under 14-and-under No minimum age limit! Stephen Spender Prize Schools Laureate Prize 9

Individual Youth Entry Pair and group entries welcome. Enter as many poems as you like. Publication and book prizes for the winners, plus the chance to participate in a virtual Celebration Event in the autumn and to have a video reading of their translation featured on the Stephen Spender Trust YouTube channel. Full details at: https://www.stephen-spender.org/stephen-spender-prize/individual- youth-entry/. Stephen Spender Prize Schools Laureate Prize 10

Portuguese Spotlight Celebrating poetry from the Portuguese-speaking world!

Portuguese Spotlight Special strand of the Stephen Spender Prize 2024-25, open to young people in the UK and Ireland and pupils at British Schools overseas. Young people can enter individually, or teachers can enter on students behalf. Translate a poem from the selection in the Portuguese Spotlight booklet, and accompany your translation with one of the following creative responses: A written commentary (max. 300 words) A video or audio commentary (max. 1 minute) A video or audio reading of the translated poem, or a passage from it (max. 1 minute) An original visual representation of the poem (e.g. a freehand drawing or collage) An original piece of creative writing inspired by/building on the themes of the poem (e.g. a short story, an original English-language poem, or a non-fiction essay/think piece; max. 300 words) Stephen Spender Prize 12

Portuguese Spotlight Three age categories: KS1-2 (Primary: P1-7) KS3 (Secondary: S1-3) KS4-5 (Sixth form/Further education: S4-6) No need to be fluent in Portuguese to enter the prize is open to all those interested in trying their hand at translation from Portuguese! Pair and group entries welcome. Publication and book prizes for the winners, plus the chance to participate in a virtual Celebration Event in the autumn and to have a video reading of their translation featured on the Stephen Spender Trust YouTube channel. Full details at: https://www.stephen-spender.org/stephen-spender-prize/portuguese- spotlight/ Stephen Spender Prize 13

Teacher Laureate Prize Calling all teacher-translators! Try your hand at poetry translation with our free-to- enter competition for teachers.

Teacher Laureate Prize Open to all teachers at schools that have submitted entries for the Schools Laureate Prize or Portuguese Spotlight 2025. Submit an English translation of a published poem from any language, and write a short commentary about the translation process (max. 300 words). Collaborative entries welcome. Win an annual print subscription to Modern Poetry in Translation and a Stephen Spender Prize workshop for your school during the next academic year. Full details at: https://www.stephen-spender.org/stephen-spender-prize/teacher- laureate-prize/ Stephen Spender Prize 15

Ready to get translating? For more details about the prize and poetry translation inspiration, head to the Stephen Spender Prize homepage: www.stephen-spender.org/stephen-spender-prize Get set for the creative response at: https://www.stephen-spender.org/guide-to-the-creative-response/ Find guidance on the written commentary at: www.stephen- spender.org/guide-to-the-commentary Explore our Stephen Spender Prize Resources hub to guide you through every step of entering the Prize. Whether you re a young person entering independently or a teacher getting involved with your students, our student resources and teaching resources have you covered! Stephen Spender Prize 16