William Soutar competition underway again

An annual writing competition in Perth is underway once again.

The William Soutar Writing competition has opened for entries, including an adult and a children’s category.

Both categories will this year also be accepting entries in Gaelic.

The competition, although run by Culture Perth and Kinross and named after a local poet, is open to adults from all over the world.

Samuel Tongue, one of the judges of the adult category, said he is excited about this year’s competition.

He said: “There’s always a lot of talk about what makes a ‘prize winning poem’: subject matter, form, technical skill, and so on.

“All of these matter but there has to be a heartbeat in there too, a lifeblood animating the whole.

“And there has to be a need for the poem - the ‘why’ as well as the ‘what’. Why did this particular poem suggest itself in this particular way?

“I’m really looking forward to reading the poems that needed to be written.”

And a spokesperson for Culture Perth and Kinross said everyone in the team is just as excited as Samuel Tongue is to see the “creativity and heart” in each entry to the William Soutar writing competition,

The shortlisted entries will form part of Culture Perth and Kinross’ library e-books, which can be accessed by residents across the region.

It is free to enter and the closing date for the competition is Friday, February 1.

The first placed winner will receive a creative writing course at Moniack Mhor for adults, and the children’s first place prize is an iPad.

Entry forms and competition rules are available from libraries across the region, or from www.culturepk.org. uk/whats-on/soutar-writing-prize/