The Green-Schools National Marine Creative Writing Competition 2023 has now CLOSED. Thank you to all who entered this year’s competition! The winners will be announced during Marine Week 24th April, so make sure to register and keep an eye on our Marine Week webpage for this announcement.

This year’s theme “The Mysterious Deep” invites students to contemplate the undiscovered wonders of our ocean. The ocean covers 70% of the Earth’s surface, and is over 10,000 metres deep – yet over 80% of the ocean remains unexplored. New marine animals and plants are discovered every year, and scientists estimate that only about 10% of marine species have been identified and described. What weird and wonderful creatures live in the darkest depths of the ocean? What are the secrets of the seabed? Use your imagination and tell us a story about the mysteries of the deep! 

Competition 

The aim of the competition is for individual students to create an original piece of creative writing inspired by the theme “The Mysterious Deep”. The piece may take the form of either a short story or a poem and must be no more than 500 words in length.  

Eligibility 

The competition is open to primary and secondary schools that are registered Green-Schools currently working on, or previously awarded for, the Global Citizenship: Marine Environment theme. Entries must adhere to the Terms and Conditions and be submitted by the deadline of 4pm, Friday 10th March, 2023. 

Categories 

There are three categories for entry: 

  • Primary School – 1st & 2nd class 
  • Primary School – 3rd & 4th class 
  • Primary School – 5th & 6th class 
  • Secondary School (all year groups) 

 

Entries from Special Schools are strongly encouraged. Special School entries may be entered into whichever age category is deemed most appropriate by the student’s teacher.  

 

Prizes 

There will be one overall national winner for each age category: each 1st place winner will receive a trophy, €100 book token, a whale or dolphin adoption from the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group and a writing workshop for their class from Poetry Ireland. 2nd place winners will receive a trophy and a €75 book token; 3rd place winners will receive a trophy and a €50 book token. Equivalent prizes may be offered subject to availability. 

 

How to enter 

The competition has now closed.

Download the Competition Poster
Download Terms & Conditions