Edward Lear Prize for Poetry, Sri Lanka

Friday, 8 September 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Owl and the Pussycat Hotel have announced their invitation to aspiring poets and writers to participate once again in the above poetry competition which they have pledged for 10 years. Looking forward to collaborating with the Galle Fairway Literary Festival for the second consecutive year, this annual competition will spark prominence in the festival’s calendar of events scheduled in January 2018.

Reita Gadkari – Chair of the Edward Lear Prize for Poetry together with her business partner Shane Thantirimudalige claims that this is their all-time favourite poet and looks forward to once again receiving entries from young Sri Lankans between the age of 18 and 30 years.

A favourite quote of the owners’ says it all which couldn’t be more apt not only for their resort boutique property, the now popular Owl and the Pussycat Hotel:

“They dined on mince, and slices of quince,

Which they ate with a runcible spoon;

And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,

They danced by the light of the moon,

The moon,

The moon,

They danced by the light of the moon.”

Edward Lear (1812-1888)

Reita says that this poem was a favourite childhood poem of hers and as an adult she often gets pleasure in reading the nonsensical poems again and again, in particular The Owl and the Pussycat.

In fact she loved it so much that this was what inspired her to name her first investment in Sri Lanka, our island paradise which has become a second home to her.

She continues to say that every line in the poem resonated with the space she had created and was thrilled to dedicate her first Sri Lankan project to this amazing poet of the 19th century. She goes on to say that she hopes that this prize will enable young aspiring poets to find inspiration from his works and create something unique and special that is a celebration of the less serious side of life.

Criteria and eligibility to enter this competition are as follows:

Open only to citizens of Sri Lanka (or passport holders) between the ages of 18 and 30 years, entries should be an unpublished single poem or a collection of up to five poems. Each poem should have a minimum of 200 words and the total of five poems should not exceed 1,200 words. The theme should follow in the vein of Edward Lear’s ‘Nonsensical Poems’, bringing about a feeling of lightness and optimism to the world in which we live. Only the first 200 entries will be accepted.

The Edward Lear Poetry award 2017/2018 will be open for entries from 1 September. Entry form will be available at www.edwardlearprizeforpoetry.com and entries will close on 10 November.

For any further information email to [email protected].

The decision of the five international judges will be final.

Winners will have to submit a recent photograph and a brief CV for placement on the website. This information will remain on the website for three years. The management of the Owl and Pussycat Hotel wishes all the applicants the very best and look forward to receiving many quirky and creative entries!