UNM organises Malaysian Poetry Writing Competition

University of Nottingham Malaysia (UNM) is organising the Malaysian Poetry Writing Competition with the aim of providing an opportunity for all Malaysian writers, regardless of age, to submit their English language poems in a nation-wide competition.

“We are happy to organise this poetry-writing competition. It is part of our efforts to promote Malaysian literature,” said Associate Professor Jason Pandya-Wood, Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. He added, “Creative writing in English is a focus in the School of English and this competition provides an opportunity for all Malaysians to showcase their talents.”

UNM is the main sponsor of the competition with Maya Press acting as co-sponsor. Participants are invited to send in their entries from now until the submission deadline, which is on 15 July 2021.

All submissions must be unpublished original work and each participant is allowed to submit a maximum of three poems with each poem not exceeding 40 lines. The announcement of the winners will be made in November 2021.

Below are the submission guidelines for the competition:

1. All submissions must be made online through email.
2. Each poem must be on a new page. The first page will contain the writer's name, identity card number, email address and a statement of declaration that the work of the poet is original and unpublished in any form. The second page will contain the title of the poem and the poem.
3. All submissions must be in Word document.
4. Any submission that does not comply with these guidelines will be rejected.
5. All submissions must reach the organisers by 15 July 2021. No late entries will be accepted.

A total of 20 poems will be longlisted and 10 will be shortlisted. The top three winners will be announced during the prize-giving ceremony that is tentatively scheduled for 28 October 2021.

The first, second and third prize winners will receive a cash prize of RM1,000, RM750 and RM500 respectively. The shortlisted winners will receive RM200 each while the longlisted winners will receive RM100 in cash.

A post-competition publication of selected poems will be published by Maya Press.

“This is a great opportunity for established writers, emerging writers and those who have no published poems, to participate in this competition. Besides the twenty poems, other poems which have high commendation from the judges will also be published in a collection of poems after the competition,” said Emeritus Professor Malachi Edwin Vethamani, Chair of the Organising Committee.

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For media enquiries please contact: Josephine Dionisappu, PR and Communications Manager University of Nottingham Malaysia at josephine.dionisappu@nottingham.edu.my  

Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham is a research-intensive university with a proud heritage. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement. Ranked 103rd out of more than 1,000 institutions globally and 18th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings 2022, the University’s state-of-the-art facilities and inclusive and disability sport provision is reflected in its crowning as The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021 Sports University of the Year. We are ranked eighth for research power in the UK according to REF 2014. We have six beacons of research excellence helping to transform lives and change the world; we are also a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, a pioneering collaboration which brings together the combined strength and civic missions of Nottingham’s two world-class universities and is working with local communities and partners to aid recovery and renewal following the COVID-19 pandemic.