The Sustainability Poetry Contest is back for its seventh year, offering budding poets in Niagara the opportunity to share their way with words with the region.

Hosted by Brock University’s United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Chair, the annual contest utilizes poetry as a medium to enhance the public’s role in community sustainability.

“We’re proud to see the contest reach its seventh anniversary and have been continually impressed with the talent and passion of the writers in our region,” says Liette Vasseur, Brock Professor and UNESCO Chair on Community Sustainability: From Local to Global. “We are looking forward to reading the submissions from our local poets again this year.”

There are two themes for the 2021 contest: the International Year of Peace and Trust, and the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables.

These themes align with the international years to be observed in 2021 by the United Nations, drawing on current world events to highlight the goals and objectives of the organization.

“This year’s challenges, with the COVID-19 pandemic and the anti-racism movement, showed us the importance of peace and trust among nations, as well as the need for sustainable and equitable vegetable and fruit production and its contribution to healthy diets and lifestyles,” Vasseur says. “Reflecting on these two international years as the themes for our contest was highly appropriate under our current circumstances.”

UNESCO has been celebrating World Poetry Day on March 21 every year since 1999. The goal is to use poetry as a social tool to bring awareness to social issues, give a voice to the community, promote linguistic diversity and change the way people view their place in the world.

All Niagara residents are eligible to enter their original, unpublished poems for this year’s contest, which includes categories for elementary, high school and post-secondary students, as well as the general public. Poems will be accepted in English and French.

Poems can be submitted online until 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21 by visiting the UNESCO Chair’s website. Prizes, such as books and gift cards, will be awarded in each of the four categories. The winners will be publicly announced. All poems are also published in an e-book compilation.