The deadline for Brock University’s eighth-annual Sustainability Poetry Contest has been extended to Sunday, Feb. 20 at 11:59 p.m., providing Niagara region poets with extra time to submit their entries.

The theme of the 2022 contest, hosted by Brock’s United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Chair, is “Beyond Sustainability,” which relates to the Brock-led transdisciplinary research project of the same name.

The team of researchers is investigating new ways of thinking about how humans interact with non-humans and the natural environment to ensure a more socially equitable and environmentally viable 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All Niagara residents are eligible to enter their original, unpublished poems for this year’s contest, which includes categories for elementary, high school and post-secondary students, as well as the general public.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, and up to two poems can be submitted per person.

Poems can be submitted online until 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 20 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.

All poets will be celebrated at a Poetry Day Celebration on Monday, March 21. More details about the event, including the location and program, will be available closer to the date and can be found on the Sustainability Poetry Contest web page.

For more information or to request assistance with your submission, please contact Sarah Ackles at sackles@brocku.ca