Students and teachers across the Caribbean are again being invited to showcase their creative talents as Macmillan Education Caribbean launches the second edition of its regional New Branches Poetry Competition.
The competition officially opens on June 8, 2026, building on the success of its inaugural staging in 2025. According to a Macmillan Education Caribbean press release, this year’s edition has been expanded to encourage wider participation while continuing to promote literacy, cultural awareness, and a passion for Language Arts among learners and educators throughout the region.
A key feature of the 2026 competition is the introduction of a new Upper Secondary category. The addition broadens eligibility beyond the Primary, Lower Secondary and Teacher divisions that were included in last year’s competition.
Participants are being encouraged to submit original poems inspired by a range of Caribbean-focused themes, including Life by the Sea in the Caribbean, Festivals in My Country, Caribbean Food and Culture, My Island or My Community, Voices of the Caribbean, and Journeys, Roots and Belonging.
Organizers have also revised the submission requirements for this year’s competition. Primary school entrants must submit poems containing between eight and 20 lines, while entries from Lower Secondary, Upper Secondary, and Teacher category participants must be between 10 and 25 lines in length.
Submissions will be evaluated by a two-person judging panel comprising author and trainer Julia Sander, who returns as a judge for the second consecutive year, and Saint Lucian author and educator Mansha Hunte-Baptiste. Hunte-Baptiste was also a participant in Macmillan Education’s recent Caribbean Author Academy, per the release.
The winning poems will be featured in the 2026 edition of the New Branches poetry anthology. Successful entrants will also receive printed copies of the publication.
The competition will close on September 8, 2026, in recognition of World Literacy Day.
Macmillan Education Caribbean said full competition rules and submission instructions will be available through a downloadable blog post on the company’s website, as well as through a SharePoint link distributed to schools and education stakeholders throughout the Caribbean.
The winners of the inaugural 2025 competition were Celine Rolle of St. Andrew’s Anglican Primary School in Exuma, The Bahamas; Shakeir Thomas of Antigua Grammar School in Antigua and Barbuda; and teacher Sasha Maynard of Charles E. Mills Secondary School in St. Kitts and Nevis.
For additional information, interested participants can visit Macmillan Education Caribbean or contact Dr. Katy Anyasoro, Marketing Manager for Macmillan Caribbean and International Curriculum, at [email protected] or by telephone at +44 7407827172.
