Copyright School Challenge 2023/2024: Creative Writing Competition
The Copyright School Challenge: Creative Writing Competition is back this year with a brand-new theme! CLASS is launching its second edition of the Creative Writing Competition for primary school students with the aim to encourage creativity and promote copyright awareness among students.
About the competition
The Creative Writing Competition is aimed at inspiring primary school students to write as well as empowering them to express their creative thoughts and opinions through poetry or as an essay. Similar to the last edition, the competition has two separate categories: Essay Writing and Poetry Writing.
– The Essay Writing category is open to Primary 3 & Primary 4 students.
– The Poetry Writing category is open to Primary 5 & Primary 6 students.
The closing date for submissions is Sunday, 31 March 2024. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony during the Asia Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC) in May 2024.
Theme
The theme for this year’s competition is CURIOSITY.
Format
Please refer to the format requirements for the submissions:
– Essay writing: Maximum of 300 words for Primary 3 students and 400 words for Primary 4 students. Title is not included in the word count. Font must be Arial or Times New Roman, 12pt, black, and double spaced.
– Poetry writing: Written in English. Maximum of 20 lines, excluding the title. Font must be Arial or Times New Roman, 12pt, black, and double spaced.
The author’s name should be included in the document or file name. No illustrations should be included as part of the entry. Submit as either a Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) or PDF file.
Prize
The top 3 winners in each category are as follows:
– 1st Prize: $500 + Trophy
– 2nd Prize: $300 + Trophy
– 3rd Prize: $200 + Trophy
Registration & Submission
You may register your interest and submit your entries by clicking on the button below.
Workshops
There will also be a poetry and an essay writing workshop held in conjunction with the competition. These workshops will be reserved for participants who register their interest by 29 February 2024, are limited to a first-come, first-serve basis and will be held at the NLB. Further information regarding these workshops will be provided by January 2024.
To register for the workshops, please visit the following links in January 2024:
Poetry writing workshop: Registration for workshop is now CLOSED
Essay writing workshop: Registration for workshop is now CLOSED
*Submissions can be made at a later date after registering of interest.
Check out the Top 2 entries from each category from last year’s competition below!
Poetry Writing
1st Prize
Maanav Praseed – Chess, A Work of Art
Me and my chess board, black and white
Time for some strategy, fun and fight!
In ebony and ivory, the pieces stand,
Each with a purpose and a plan.
The clock ticks down, the tension mounts,
A clash of minds, and a battle of thoughts.
Oh! A move I haven’t seen before,
But don’t give up! Give him more!
I stare at the board rubbing my chin,
Ah! The perfect sequence to secure my win.
The pawns, the bishops, the rooks and knights,
With will and valour they all fight.
I realise I blunder a beautiful fork,
I sit there thinking I’m a dork.
My queen comes out to avenge my rook,
And my plan worked… I made him look!
Time passes by and the attack brews,
His hand stretches out to say I lose!
I love my chessboard, a work of art,
A game well-played, fills my heart.
Runner-Up
Hailey Chua Yixin – Play
My fingers poise on the scintillating keys,
The obsidian and ivory beckoning to me.
With my right hand, I press down the first note of the song,
Launching the charming canon. My body bobs along.
The tune starts off gleeful, airy and sweet.
It billows in the air, in light, cheerful beats.
Mezzo piano, whispered. Diminuendos, gentle.
Digits trickle o’er the piano, a skipping instrumental.
Then my left hand comes in, and the phrase becomes a story,
Told by two alluring sirens, crooning in harmony.
It deepens like marionettes waltzing to my nails,
Which cascade in a glissando. I sway, ridden of travail.
The crescendos build in suspense; my tension unravels…
My enthusiasm builds with the keys pounding like gavels.
Eventually, the tempo slows, and the melody softens.
My eyes close, the piano shuts. Click. An elegy to a coffin.
Music is the wax that binds us to our souls,
And unleashes our pressure with the ring of a doh.
Till death, this wonderful piano I shall forever play.
This is my lighthearted, lyrical way of… play
Essay Writing Writing
1st Prize
Lee Kaia
I sit on a bed, my mottled legs dangling lifelessly. My glazed eyes stare
blankly at the far wall. They fall on a picture of a young boy, his hand tightly grasping
the sleeve of a smiling, grey-haired woman. He has a penetrating stare, his jet-black
hair jutting out at odd angles. I frown. Who are they? I cannot seem to remember. A
tear trickles down my face.
A young boy runs in, with a grin on his face. He flings his arms around me.
Who is he? Why is he hugging me? My eyes tilt involuntarily towards the picture on
the wall. I look back in front of me. He is just like that boy, but older. He takes out an
oddly familiar object. What is that?
“Do you remember we played four-in-a-row last week? You won all seven
times!”
I nod.
But I don’t remember. Is my mind playing tricks on me? Is he playing with
me? At the back of my mind, I know that he is not.
A flicker of connection sparks in my mind as I pick up the rounded disc,
hesitantly slotting it into a hole. I remember how to play. Not just to play the game,
but play itself.
He puts another piece in, blocking my path. I frown. Then I remember how to
smile as I continue playing.
A familiar smell wafts into the room. Chicken rice. That is my favourite food. I
keep silent for a moment.
“Come on, let’s go on playing!” He urged as a slightly worried look crossed
his face. A moment later, it was gone.
Are my eyes playing tricks on me?
“The doctor said play is good for you,” He says as he blocks me once again.
I remember how to laugh as I put in another piece.
As I look around me, I know I am at home, on my bed. My home. My bed. I sit
there and cry. Tears after tears bucketing down. I remember I played with him last
week, and the week before. Through the tears, I smile once again.
“Are you alright?” The boy asks, the creases of worries plain on his face.
“I remember,” I say, as I slot my next disc in.
“Grandma, do you know who I am?”
I reply, “I don’t know who you are, but I know I love you.”
Runner-Up
Aidan Weckx
“Where is Aidan? Is he off to play with his mates again?” muttered my mom in exasperation, as she picks up our sweaty ski gear in the restaurant. “Yes mom,” sighed Dylan, my 6-year old brother. “You know where he always is whenever we are here.”
Every year, my family heads off to our “happy place” – Club Med Valmorel in the French Alps, several hours from Paris. We spend our week skiing in the breathtaking snow-capped mountains, enjoying the fresh air of the Alps. Ski class starts at 9:00 am, we break for lunch, and then we are back on the slopes for the afternoon class. But my real “play time” starts way before ski class, and continues during our breaks, and “apres-ski.”
I love to play ping-pong and whenever I have time to spare between ski classes, I can be found in the basement kids club with about 15 boys, from ages 6 to 20. At first, with all the French chatter, I did not feel I belonged to the eclectic group. But after I played ping-pong with the boys, some of whom were serious experts, I felt a real sense of belonging, like I was in special club with like-minded friends bonded by a common passion.
Whenever I pick up my paddle, I feel my adrenaline rush through my veins. A good player has to have the speed of a cheetah, the grace of a gazelle, the precision of an eagle and the power of a lion. I was inspired by the older teenager boys, who played so skillfully and artfully, with such finesse and grace. And every single day, I would be at the basement, playing my heart out.
All good things come to an end and it was time to return home. I had found my passion, and that was ping-pong. My dad even bought me a mini ping-pong table so I can play in the living room anytime, and my mom signed me up for a professional ping-pong holiday camp. Play time was no longer in front of my computer or TV – it was always at the ping-pong table, where I felt the most at ease.
Just eight more months and I will be back in Club Med Valmorel again, playing with speed, grace, precision and power – where I am back in the game, and back in the happiest playground on earth.
Terms and Conditions
All registration and entries must be filled and submitted by the parents, teachers, or guardians of the participants (student or child). Each participant can submit only one entry, and manuscripts must be in Microsoft Word or pdf.
Participants (students) must submit their entries by Sunday, 31 March 2024. All submissions must be made via the online form through the student’s teacher or parent/guardian.
Only entries that are duly received by us by the aforementioned closing date will be eligible for the competition. We will not accept responsibility for any entries that are lost, delayed, or damaged and we do not consider proof of submitting an online entry as proof that we have received it.
All entries must be an original piece and developed by the student or child. The entries must not have been published on any other forms of media (including the internet, social media, newspapers, and school publications). Entries must not have been submitted for any other contests before.
The poetry writing and essay writing workshops are free of charge for registered participants of the competition.
Any entries containing excerpts, translations, or plagiarism, infringing on others’ copyrights, will be disqualified, and rendered invalid. Revocation of any award and return of prizes will be required.
All personal information including contact details must be provided and accurate. The registrants will be contactable via email and/ or phone for the purpose of the competition only.
Prize-winning entries are subject to publication, distribution, and promotion by the Organiser without prior notification.
The decision of the judges is final, and no discussion will be entertained in relation to their decision.
Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony during the Asia Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC) in May 2024, with the date to be confirmed. Parents/guardians and teachers including the entrant must be present for the ceremony to receive the prize.
For any enquiries, do send us an email at info@class-singapore.com
