Macmillan Education Caribbean has announced the winners of its Language Tree New Branches: Poetry Competition, following strong participation from across the Caribbean.
The competition received 99 entries from 13 countries, spanning three categories: Primary School Students, Lower Secondary School Students, and Teachers. In total, 30 primary students, 21 lower secondary students and 48 teachers submitted original poems exploring themes including nature, food, festivals, animals, the sea and weather.
According to the competition judge, Julia Sander, the standard of entries was consistently high across all categories. She noted that the judging panel was particularly impressed by the creativity, imagination and enjoyment of language demonstrated in the submissions, making the selection of winners a challenging task.
The first-place winner in the Primary School category was Celine Rolle of St. Andrews Anglican School, Exuma, The Bahamas, for her poem “Let’s Make Tropical Conch Salad”, written on the theme of food.
Second place was awarded to Bethany Barr of Sadie Curtis Primary School, The Bahamas.
Joint third place went to Antoinette Kissoon of Tunapuna Presbyterian Primary School, Trinidad and Tobago, and K’Ronjae Liburd of Joycelyn Liburd Primary School, Nevis.
The winning primary entry was praised for its vivid sensory language, effective use of poetic devices, and strong rhythm, which together created an energetic and engaging poem.
In the Lower Secondary category, first place was awarded to Shakeir Tafarie Thomas of Antigua Grammar School, Antigua and Barbuda, for his poem “Nature”.
Second place went to Denae Tehya Laelle Bontiff of St. Anthony’s Secondary School (SASS), Antigua and Barbuda, while third place was awarded to Adryanna Fowler of St. Jago High School, Jamaica.
The first-place poem was commended for its emotional depth and its contrast between the beauty of the natural world and the damage caused by human activity, concluding with a hopeful message.
The Teacher category was won by Sasha Maynard of Charles E. Mills Secondary School, St. Kitts and Nevis, for her poem “Christmas in Saint Kitts”, written on the theme of festivals.
Second place was awarded to Ambrosia Oladele of Sts. Peter and Paul Preparatory School, Jamaica, and third place went to Cheyenne K. V. Maynard of Sandy Point Primary School, St. Kitts and Nevis.
The winning teacher entry was recognised for its effective contrast between the religious significance of Christmas and the cultural celebrations that follow, as well as its strong use of rhythm and rhyme.
All winning poems have been published in a one-off, special edition poetry book produced by Macmillan Education, showcasing creative writing from students and teachers across the Caribbean.
Macmillan Education Caribbean congratulated all winners and participants, noting that the competition aimed to encourage literacy, creativity and a lasting appreciation for poetry throughout the region.
