This year’s shortlist for the CLPE Children’s Poetry Award – CLiPPA – was recently announced and features five great titles to share with your class!

2025 judge Annette Brook has very shared her insight into the beauty and value of verse, this year’s shortlisted poetry and how schools can be involved in the award…

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I work for First Story, England’s leading creative writing charity for young people as Communications and Marketing Manager, promoting and championing our work across a variety of platforms, both on and offline. Our work encourages young people to enjoy the craft of writing and so to judge the CLiPPA (CLPE Children’s Poetry Award), a competition that encourages young people to enjoy the pleasures of reading and performing poetry, was perfect symmetry.

It’s been a delight to be a 2025 CLiPPA judge. I always enjoyed verse as a child, so it was fun to read and decide upon a shortlist of great poetry books for children published in the past year. I was one of the judging panel of five, chaired by the incredible Roger McGough. As judges we were looking for books that would excite and wow children aged 0-13 and so read the books not just with them in mind but, as it were, through their eyes. Alongside consideration of audience, of equal importance was that we highlighted the absolute best new collections.

Our shortlist is wonderfully varied.

For younger readers, Big Red Dragon by Jane Newberry, illustrated by Carolina Rabei, Otter-Barry Books, provides a lively poem for every season of the year with lots of encouragement to join in. We judges urge you to bring your hands, your feet and your faces, and get ready to roar these poems off the page.

The judges found Colossal Words for Kids by Colette Hiller, illustrated by Tor Freeman, Frances Lincoln (7+), riveting and a challenge to our own wordsmithery! Truly original, the collection introduces 75 tremendous words via clever rhymes that really shout to be read out loud. Children will love how fun this book is and will certainly learn a new word or three.

The hilarious Let Sleeping Cats Lie by Brian Bilston, Macmillan, made us all laugh out loud and features amongst its pages a haiku composed by the poet’s dog, an experimental poem written by his cat, and an ode to scamster ‘Arry the ‘Amster. Young people are bound to be amused too (and cat owners might well shed a tear over What’s In a Name?)

We Are Family by Oliver Skyes, illustrated by Ian Morris, Otter-Barry Books (9+) is a deeply personal collection, as Oliver Sykes presents poems about growing up poor in a busy, loving single parent family. The verse is delivered with sustained energy and insight, and clear joy in rhyme. Authentic and convincing, the judges felt that this book gives a voice to children not often heard.

Wise Up! Wise Down by accomplished poets John Agard and JonArno Lawson, illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura, is a unique set of poems written in a call and response format. The poets riff on one another’s thoughts, go off on their own tangents, and have a unique poetry conversation. We all agreed that this collection really feels different and is quite boundary-pushing.

Teachers can sign up now to take part in the CLiPPA Shadowing Scheme and explore the shortlist with their pupils. Children are invited to choose their favourite poems from the collections and create their own poetry performances, either solo or in groups. The CLiPPA and the Shadowing is a great opportunity to engage children in poetry, performance and literature. Once the Shadowing Scheme closes on the 21 May, the judges pick a winning poetry performance for each collection, who will then be invited to perform at the award ceremony at the National Theatre on 20 June!

At First Story we know that a scheme like the CLiPPA Shadowing fosters creative writing, experimentation, risk and resilience; it cultivates curiosity and play, whilst teaching self-discipline and persistence. We know that writing regularly can support mental health and wellbeing, as much as furthering literacy and attainment, and think these poetry collections will prompt poetry writing as well as poetry speaking. And most importantly it’s great fun! Sign up now – and here too are our top tips for encouraging creative writing:

• Encourage reading – good writers need to be reader first
• Engage all the senses – young writers should be guided to write using all of their senses, not just what they see but what they hear, what something tastes like etc
• Introduce short creative writing sessions regularly in the classroom
• Young writers should be told that their lives, experiences, interests are of interest and this will help build their confidence

Find out more about the CLiPPA Shadowing Scheme.

The winner of the CLiPPA will be announced at the National Theatre on Friday 20 June.

Annette Brook is a playwright and a communications professional. She has worked in arts administration, primarily communications, for 20 years, at organisations including Spread the Word, the Royal Society of Literature and Theatre Peckham. In 2023, she joined creative writing and education charity First Story as their Communications and Marketing Manager. She has BA English and MA Arts Administration and Cultural Policy, both from Goldsmiths. Her work for theatre includes the critically acclaimed how we love (Arcola 2021; VAULT Festival, 2020); Gala Mae (Matchstick Piehouse, 2019) longlisted for the Alfred Fagon Award, and The Marriage of Lady Mede (Penned in the Margins for Ledbury Poetry Festival/Shoreditch Town Hall, 2017). Annette is a member of Matchstick Theatre Company and co-produces short play nights. She is an alumnus of the Royal Court Young Writers’ Programme and the Royal Court Invitation Group, was a Jerwood/Arvon mentee 2015-16, and has just been announced as a Criterion New Writer for 2025.

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Many thanks again to Annette for her introduction to this year’s CLiPPA shortlist.  You can see the shortlist in full alongside a bespoke bundle for schools here and we will be sharing the winner when they are announced on June 20th!