A celebration will be held Thursday, May 20 as this year’s winning entries for the seventh annual Sustainability Poetry Contest have been decided.

Hosted annually by Brock University’s United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Chair, the contest invites Niagara poets to submit original written works, in English or French, that celebrate sustainability.

There were two themes for the 2021 contest: The International Year of Peace and Trust; and the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables. The themes aligned with the international years being observed this year by the United Nations, drawing on current world events to highlight the goals and objectives of the organization.

The winners of the contest are typically announced during an annual World Poetry Day Celebration in St. Catharines, but with the COVID-19 pandemic continuing and restrictions still in place around gatherings, it was decided the celebration would move online.

Brock UNESCO Chair Liette Vasseur said she is happy to be able to congratulate the winners this week — even if it must be though a computer screen.

“It’s unfortunate that we can’t gather in person, but I want to recognize the hard work and effort made by all of the entrants in this year’s Sustainability Poetry Contest,” said Vasseur. “We were impressed by the number and the quality of poems received this year.”

This year’s winners include:
General public — Shelley Anne Locke, ONE UMBRELLA
University/college — Ethan Michael Birch, Hospital Fruit
High school — Jonathan Vasilyev, Ontario’s cornucopia
Elementary school — Coral Foster, Health and happy

In French:
University — Dominic Scibetta, Mon Apprentissage des Fruits et Légumes
Elementary — Ambar Foster, Poème de paix et confiance

Vasseur also thanked her Brock colleagues who served as this year’s judging panel: Catherine Parayre, Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture; Gregory Betts, Professor with the Department of English; Adam Dickinson, Associate Professor of English and award-winning poet; and Neta Gordon, Associate Dean, Undergraduate Student Affairs and Curriculum in the Faculty of Humanities.

To take part in Thursday’s celebration, please contact lvasseur@brocku.ca for a link. An e-book compilation of all of this year’s entries will also be published on the UNESCO Chair website in the coming months.