We are Live Canon, and we organise poetry events, publish poetry, run workshops in schools and libraries for young people, and teach courses for adults... You can find out more about us at www.livecanon.co.uk

Each year, for the last four years, we have raised money to run a children's poetry competition.

For twelve years we'd been running a poetry competition for adults, but 4 years ago, we ran our first competition for children aged 5-18. The response was overwhelming, with entries coming in from both individuals and schools. We were humbled by the range and brilliance of what we were sent. Since then, we have made this an annual competition, publishing a book of the hundred winning poems, and holding a prize giving event, at Greenwich Theatre, to make the children truly proud.

Uniquely, at the prize-giving event, professional actors perform the poems, without telling us if the poem is by a 5-year-old or 15-year-old. It is a tribute to the talent of all the young poets that these poems stand up on their own as great writing. 

With our adult competition, there is a small fee to enter. This helps with our admin costs and the costs of publishing the book and the event. But obviously we shouldn't and wouldn't charge an entry fee for the children's competition; we want it to be accessible to everyone. 

That means we have to raise money to make it happen. We have applied to a number of trusts and foundations, we get support in kind from Greenwich Theatre (thank you, thank you, thank you) and we actively look for sponsorship... but we also create this fundrazr to allow us to ask for help from individuals who might agree with us that this is a good thing. 

Your help is deeply appreciated.