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

Poppies

By Harry Raine
Belmont Community School
Aged 13

Stars of Night

By Hayley Scorer
Belmont Community School
Aged 13

Trench Horrors

By Jak Wharton
Belmont Community School
Aged 13

The Unknown Soldier

By Katie Hirst
Belmont Community School
Aged 13

Story of a Man

By Katrina Mould
Belmont Community School
Aged 13

Fear

By Ross Turnbull
Belmont Community School
Aged 13

The Heroes

By Sophia O'Neila and Katie Mclaughlin
Belmont Community School
Aged 13

The Poppies Will Never Die

By Harry Craig
Parkside Academy
Aged 12

solider daddy

By savanna mcmanus
The academy at shotton hall
Aged 12

My Terviring Life

By Katy Taylor
Greenfiled Community College
Aged 11

A poem to my grandad

By Alannah Bambridge
Greenfield Community College
Aged 11

world war one

By Luke Kellett
Greenfield Communtiy Collage
Aged 12

My Loved ones

By Cameron Brassell
Greenfield Community College
Aged 11

stay strong

By ReeceHayes
Greenfield community college
Aged 11

NEVER TELL

By Harry Billington
Greenfield Community College
Aged 11

Life at war

By Jack Smith
Greenfield community college
Aged 11

The world at war

By Kelsey Francis
Parkside Acadamy
Aged 11

world war one

By Cameron Dunn
greenfield community college
Aged 12

Letter of Love

By Casey Hilland
GREENFIELD COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Aged 11

Soldier

By Chloe Walling
Greenfield Community Collage
Aged 11