Nature & Environmental Poetry Competition 2023 Winners Announced!

From the urbanization of a natural space to a forest still haunted by the effects of fire, our Nature & Environmental Poetry Competition saw young writers explore a huge range of places, investigating and celebrating their relationships with the natural world. Read on to discover the winners and finalists, along with Guest Judge Craig Santos Perez’s commentary!

WINNER:

‘Fire//Water’ by Ember207 (US)

Read Ember207’s winning entry, or login/sign up to read the piece on our site (for writers aged 13-19)!

‘Fire//Water’ is a poem that unsettled me and that is indeed where this piece begins—with the unsettling landscape of scorched earth. The original imagery grabbed my attention throughout: burnt trees “twist like grappled / snakes that swallow whole and spit out hydras” is just one of many moments that make us imagine ecological disaster in new ways. While the first stanza focuses on fire, the second stanza focuses on water, which “slices undergrowth,” “bless[es] the trees,” and “baptize[s] your hands.” Formally, I appreciate how this poem utilizes mangled syntax and flowing line breaks to embody the movement of fire and water. Overall, a memorable and haunting work!

RUNNER-UP:

‘Hulan, Then & Now’ by Molly (Siyu) Chen (Canada)

Read Molly’s entry, or login/sign up to read the piece on our site (for writers aged 13-19)!

‘Hulan, Then & Now’ revolves around the urbanization of Hulan, a district in northeast China. The poem begins with the image of flamingos feeding their nestlings and mothering the marshes. In the second stanza, the poem becomes overtaken by “the rhythm of rebar and hammers’ clinks” as tower cranes and wet concrete silence the flamingos. The poem ends with resignation and “techno-beats from across the sticky asphalt road.” I appreciate how this poem moves across time to show us how development destroys habitats.

BEST PEER REVIEW:

Review of ‘HERE COMES MOTHER NATURE’ by Katherine_ (Australia)

Log in/sign up to see the winning peer review on our site (for writers aged 13-19)!

This reviewer does a wonderful job close-reading the poem and offering positive and constructive feedback. Moreover, the feedback is quite extensive and detailed. I appreciate when reviewers really dive into a poem and offer their interpretations and revision suggestions. I was impressed with the depth and breadth of this review, and I think it will definitely help the author revise their poem to reach its full potential. Great work!