About the Competition

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The Interfaith Week National Pupil Poetry Competition is open to all UK schools and launches for the first time in 2025. This year’s theme is “Community: Together We Serve.”

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Pupils are invited to reflect on this theme and express their ideas through poetry, exploring perspectives of community, togetherness, and service. Poems can respond to questions such as:

• What does helping the community look like?

• Would it be a community without kindness?

• How can serving others bring us together?

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The competition is free to enter with prizes for winning pupils and schools across four categories:

• KS1 – up to 10 lines

• KS2 – up to 10 lines

• KS3 – up to 30 lines

• KS4 – up to 30 lines

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All poems must be the pupil’s own work, written in English, and submitted through their school.

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Why get involved?

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Taking part offers a range of benefits for pupils and schools alike:

• Encourages creativity – pupils use poetry to express their ideas and voices.

• Links to learning – supports RE, SMSC, English and Interfaith Week activities.

• Broadens understanding – introduces perspectives from different faiths and beliefs.

• Promotes personal growth – reflection on kindness and service fosters resilience and belonging.

• Celebrates achievement – winning poems will be published on the Interfaith Week website, with prizes awarded to both pupils and schools.

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Schools may also choose to hold their own in-school competitions before submitting entries, helping to build excitement and community.

Resources and Inspiration

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To help schools take part, we provide Interfaith Week learning journey resources. These include activities and reflection prompts to inspire pupils’ poems.

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Guidance for pupils:

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• Poem style: Any form is welcome – acrostic, free verse, lyrics, or something else.

• Ideas to explore:

  • Family traditions and community practices.

  • Teachings about service from different worldviews (e.g. Zakat in Islam, Seva in Sikhism, Tzedakah in Judaism, Dana in Hinduism, service in Christianity and Buddhism, or charitable giving in Humanism).

  • The positive impact of acts of service, such as volunteering or helping others.

• Reflection prompts:

  • What does service mean to me?

  • How do I feel when I help others?

  • How has my family or community shaped my views?

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