Online Competitions to Win

To celebrate National Poetry Day on 8 October, we are launching our sixth annual poetry competition for East Sussex residents. This year’s theme is Heroes and Heroines.

There are three categories:
* under 11 years
* 11 to 15 years
* 16 years and over.

Closing date and prizes
The closing date is 20 February 2010 at 12 noon.

Winners will be announced in March, with a prize-giving ceremony to follow. The best winning entries will be published here on our website.

Prizes include books and book vouchers for all winners and runners up.

How to enter
Please type, or write your poem legibly on one side of a piece of paper. On the other side write the title of your poem, your name, your age (or you can write over 16), your address and your contact telephone number or email address.

Send written poems with your details to:
Poetry competition
Web Content Editor
East Sussex County Council
County Hall
St Anne’s Crescent
Lewes, BN7 1SU
Or email webstaff@eastsussex.gov.uk with Poetry Competition 2010 as the subject.

Terms and conditions
Poems should not exceed 40 lines.
Poems should have a title.
All poems must be original, must be the entrant’s own work and must not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third parties.
All entries must be in the English language.
Authors retain copyright to their work and will be credited on the website.
East Sussex County Council (ESCC) reserves the right to publish the poems on our website and in public libraries. The individual author will retain the copyright in his or her poem or poems.
We reserve the right to change our panel of judges without notice.
ESCC accepts no responsibility for lost, delayed or incomplete entries.

There are three age categories:
* Under 11 years, there is one prize for the best poem, one prize for second place, plus two runners up prizes. In addition, one highly commended entry may be announced.
* 11 to 15 years, there is one prize for the best poem, one prize for second place, plus two runners up prizes. In addition, one highly commended entry may be announced.
* 16 years and over, there is one prize for the best poem, and one prize for second place.

Entries must include the title of your poem, your name, your age, your address and contact telephone number or email address.

All poems must be received by 20 February 2010 at 12 noon.

The winners will be notified by phone or email by 30 March 2010.

This competition is not open to members of the East Sussex County Council Communications team or members of their family. Entrants must be resident in East Sussex.