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

The Wretched Trenches

By Romy Crees
Carmel College
Aged 14

Remember

By Natasha Johnson
St Bede's Lanchester
Aged 13

Remember

By Kieron Warren
Carmel College
Aged 14

The Angel Smiles

By Maya Dunn
St Bede's Lanchester
Aged 13

The Battle of Love

By Cathy van Mourik
Carmel College
Aged 14

The Price of War

By Alana Prior
Carmel College
Aged 14

Deafening Silence

By Amy Waites
St Bede's Lanchester
Aged 13

War Poem

By Joshua Glendenning
Carmel College
Aged 13

Those who fell…

By Benedict Humble
Carmel College
Aged 14

Gone

By Kaitlyn Malloy
St Bede's Lanchester
Aged 13

United They Stand

By Emy Bridges
The Academy at Shotton Hall
Aged 14

The Poppy

By Josh Gwillym
St Bede's Lanchester
Aged 13

Disgraceful War

By Michael Owen
Carmel College
Aged 14

Living Room

By Jonathan White
Sedgefield Community College
Aged 14

War

By Elliot Feechan
Carmel RC College
Aged 13

A dark trench in the ground

By Karoline Niemczuk
Carmel College
Aged 13

War

By Carla Orsi
Carmel College
Aged 13

World War 1 poem

By Anna King
Carmel College
Aged 13

My Life

By Christina Regi
Carmel RC college
Aged 13

War poem

By Troy Cooley
Carmel College
Aged 13