Macmillan Education Caribbean has announced the launch of the second edition of its regional “New Branches” Poetry Competition, which officially opens on June 8th 2026.
The initiative, which was first introduced in 2025, returns with an expanded format aimed at encouraging greater participation from students and teachers across the Caribbean. Organisers say the competition continues to serve as a platform for creative expression while promoting literacy, cultural identity and a love for Language Arts throughout the region.
One of the major additions to this year’s competition is the introduction of an Upper Secondary category, expanding participation opportunities beyond the Primary, Lower Secondary and Teacher categories featured in the inaugural edition.
Participants are being invited to submit original poems inspired by themes such as Life by the sea in the Caribbean; Festivals in My Country; Caribbean Food and Culture; My Island or My Community; Voices of the Caribbean; and Journeys, Roots and Belonging.
The competition’s submission guidelines have also been updated for the second edition with primary students now required to submit poems between 8 and 20 lines, while entries from lower secondary, upper secondary and teacher participants must range between 10 and 25 lines.
This year’s entries will be reviewed by a two-member judging panel comprising author, trainer and returning judge Julia Sander, along with Saint Lucian author and educator Mansha Hunte-Baptiste, who formed part of Macmillan Education’s recent Caribbean Author Academy.
Winning entries will be published in the 2026 edition of the “New Branches” poetry anthology. Winners will also receive printed copies of the publication.
The competition closes on Tuesday 8 September 2026 in observance of World Literacy Day.
Macmillan Education Caribbean said full competition guidelines and submission details will be accessible to download through a blog post on the company’s website, as well as via a SharePoint link shared with schools and education stakeholders across the region.
Winners of last year’s competition were Celine Rolle of the St. Andrew’s Anglican [Primary] School in Exuma, The Bahamas; Shakeir Thomas of the Antigua Grammar School [Secondary] in Antigua & Barbuda; and Ms. Sasha Maynard [Teacher] of the Charles E. Mills Secondry School in St. Kitts & Nevis.
