It's an honour to judge the John Betjeman Young People's Poetry Competition. In fact I'm really really excited about it. Pass the following info onto any 11-14 year oldsters you might know: The John Betjeman Young People’s Poetry Competition ** CALL FOR ENTRIES ** The John Betjeman Young People’s Poetry Competition sponsored by Shell is open to 11-14 year olds in the British Isles and Republic of Ireland. The prize of £1,000, (£500 to the winner and £500 to the English department of their school), is donated by John Murray (Publishers) Ltd. The first prize winner, runner-up and highly commended will also each win three Eurostar standard class return tickets to either Paris or Brussels. Entrants are invited to send one poem about any aspect of their local surroundings or any aspect thereof, whether it be a house, a street, a garden, a park, a city or a wider landscape. The spirit behind the competition is to encourage young people to understand and appreciate the importance of place. The prize giving will take place on 20th October 2009 at St. Pancras International Station. Completed entry forms which are available on request need to be received by 31st August 2009. For the full list of rules, entry form or for further information about the prize please visit www.johnbetjeman.com or email justinagowers@yahoo.co.uk