West Yorkshire’s Talented Young Poets Awarded With Prestigious Titles

The next generation of West Yorkshire’s ‘Young Poets Laureate’ have been announced by Mayor Tracy Brabin and the National Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, following a search to discover and celebrate creative talent in the region.

Hundreds of poems were entered by pupils in school years four and nine, as part of a region-wide programme launched by the National Literacy Trust in October. Professional poets have since worked with teachers to encourage children to unleash their creativity, demonstrating how writing and communication skills can help unlock lifelong opportunities.

Max from Pontefract won the Year Four category with a poem entitled “Seven things found in my mum's Amazon delivery”, while the older group winner, Ayeshah from Calderdale, impressed the judges with a poem entitled ‘Primadonna’.

The 2025 winners will take the reins from West Yorkshire’s first ever young laureates Alina Brdar and Isabelle Walker, who have performed at several high-profile events in the region over the past 12 months, including the annual Convention of the North, the British Library’s 50th anniversary celebrations, and the BBC’s Contains Strong Language festival.

Mayor Tracy Brabin with last year's winning young poets, Isabelle (L) and Alina (R) Photo: West Yorkshire Combined Authority

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said:

“Alina and Isabelle have been phenomenal ambassadors for young creativity in our region over the past year, and I can’t wait to see Max and Ayeshah follow in their footsteps.

“Our region is bursting with talent and opportunities, and all of these incredible young poets have bright futures ahead of them.

“We’re building a region of learning and creativity in West Yorkshire, where young people are empowered to follow their passions and contribute to a stronger, brighter region.”

Simon Armitage, National Poet Laureate, said:

“Language is constantly changing and young people are at the forefront of those shifts in speech and writing.

“The young laureates help us see the world with new eyes, and poetry offers a way for emerging generations to navigate their way in a complicated world.

“The fourteen-year-old Simon Armitage would have loved to have been part of a project like this - if only I’d thought of it forty-odd years ago!”

Sharena Lee Satti, Project Manager at the National Literacy Trust, said:

“Writing for pleasure among children and young people in Yorkshire and the Humber is at an all-time low. We want to ensure that no child misses out on the valuable wellbeing benefits of writing for pleasure.

“The West Yorkshire Young Poet Laureate is empowering children across the region to rediscover the joys of writing and to express themselves through poetry.

“Our winners Max and Ayeshah will now go on to serve as our second cohort of West Yorkshire Young Poet Laureates and help inspire their peers throughout the region to pick up a pen and give poetry a go.”

The brainchild of National Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, this initiative is run by the National Literacy Trust and funded by Mayor Tracy Brabin as part of her £2.3 million ‘You Can Make It Here’ campaign. Her programme of investments are designed to drive economic growth, boost skills, and inspire more young people in West Yorkshire to explore careers in the creative industries.

West Yorkshire’s two new laureates were officially appointed by the Mayor at a celebration event held at Mind The Gap in Bradford today (26 January).

To find out more, please visit: https://literacytrust.org.uk/programmes/young-writers/west-yorkshire-poet-laureate-competition/our-winners.