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