Wes Morgan To Judge Premier League Writing Stars Poetry Competition

- Leicester City Club captain to judge national poetry competition
- Writing Stars uses the appeal of football to engage and inspire pupils
- Youngsters aged five to 11 encouraged to write on the theme of ambition

Writing Stars returns for a third year, with primary school pupils aged five to 11 across England and Wales encouraged to write on the theme of ambition.

Morgan - who famously lifted the Premier League title for the Foxes in 2015/16 - will join Waterstone’s Children’s Laureate Cressida Cowell and poet and hip-hop artist Karl Nova in judging this year’s competition, which launches on 4 February.

The theme of ambition will encourage children to dream big for themselves and the world around them, highlighting the importance of self-belief and inspiring pupils to celebrate accomplishments as they work to achieve their goals.

Discussing his involvement in this year’s competition, Morgan said: “After winning the Premier League, I made my team reflect on the incredible journey we had been on together. Ambition is something every footballer has, but rarely do we take time to think about our achievements.

“Encouraging children to think about their dreams and instilling confidence in them so they feel ready to go out and achieve their goals is crucial for development and a great life lesson.

“I feel honoured to be part of this year’s Writing Stars judging panel and can’t wait to see what ambitious writers are out there!”

More than 50,000 primary school children have entered poems into the Premier League Writing Stars competition over the past two seasons, when the themes were resilience and diversity.

Writing Stars uses the appeal of football to engage and inspire pupils. This year’s national winners will see their poems published in a limited-edition book and will win a Premier League Trophy visit for their school as well as a special poetry workshop with Nova for their class.

Entries can be any form of poetic writing including a rap or lyrics, but must be no longer than 150 words. The judging panel will consider several criteria when selecting the winners, including creativity, tone and originality.

Primary school teachers can head to PLPrimaryStars.com to register and download the free Premier League Writing Stars resource pack on ambition.

All original poem entries must be submitted through the website or by post by the closing date of Friday 20 March to be considered. Winners will be announced in May 2020.