The Northern Echo's Schools' Poetry Competition

The Northern Echo appealed to all secondary schools in the region to get involved and to get their pupils writing a poem to commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War.

The war inspired some of the greatest poems in the English language and it was the current generation's turn to put their thoughts and feelings in words.

The winner, 14-year-old Olivia Skilbeck was chosen by a panel of experts and received the latest iPad. The top ten poems were included in a special edition of The Northern Echo published on Remembrance Sunday – November 9.

Click here to read Olivia's poem, Blood on the Battlefield, along with work by the other finalists.

The competition, which is now closed to entries received a huge response from schools across the region and you can read their poems below.

Click on the title to read the full poem

My Love…

By Victoria Clark
Durham Trinity School & Sports College (Special School)
Aged 15

Armistice Day

By Ryan Harrison
Durham Trinity School & Sports College (Special School)
Aged 14

World War Who?

By Liam Thompson
Durham Trinity School & Sports College (Special School)
Aged 15

Gather & Run

By Thomas Davies
Durham Trinity School & Sports College (Special School)
Aged 14

Gas Attack

By Craig Dunn
Shotton Hall Academy
Aged 12

World War One

By Neve Barry
Shotton hall academy
Aged 11

the war boy

By elliot stirman
shotton hall academy
Aged 13

Dying Solider

By Sophie Boden
Parkside Academy
Aged 13

daddys little girl

By emily may roberts
shotton hall academy
Aged 13

World War 1

By Nekha Shinu
Carmel Collage
Aged 11

Hearts at War

By Meghan Dixon
The Academy At Shotton Hall
Aged 12

Why?

By Jemma Byatt
Academy at Shotton Hall
Aged 12

A Spy

By Adam Charlton
St Bedes Catholic School and Sixth Form College
Aged 13

Will anyone survive

By SARAH TURVER
carmel college
Aged 11

Milites Mortis

By Charlie Cornish
Carmel College
Aged 14

Hearts At War

By Meghan Dixon
The Academy At Shotton Hall
Aged 12

My Hero

By Holly Barrigan
Carmel R.C Collage
Aged 12

War

By Katie Andrews
Sunnydale Community College
Aged 11

The Sound

By Sarah Jane Nicholson Wood
Sunnydale Community College
Aged 12

Time To Say Goodbye

By Sarah Jane Nicholson Wood
Sunnydale Community College
Aged 12