The deadline for Brock University’s ninth-annual Sustainability Poetry Contest has been extended to Thursday, Feb. 23 at 11:59 p.m., providing extra time for poets in the Niagara region to submit their entries.

The theme of the 2023 contest, hosted by Brock’s United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Chair, is International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development.

“Basic sciences are part of everything we do, with the pandemic response being a prime example of the power of global scientific collaboration to address world challenges,” said Liette Vasseur, Brock University Biological Sciences Professor and UNESCO Chair on Community Sustainability: From Global to Local. “This year’s topic seeks to explore the need for both mastering and taking into account basic science as a means for achieving truly sustainable development of the Earth going forward.”

All Niagara residents are eligible to enter their original, unpublished poems for this year’s contest, which includes categories for elementary, high school and post-secondary students, as well as the general public.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 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 and all poems are published in an e-book compilation.

All poets will be celebrated at a Poetry Day Celebration on Tuesday, 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 a submission, please contact Sarah Ackles at sackles@brocku.ca