The Self-Portrait Challenge
Have you ever done a self-portrait in an art lesson at school? Today, we're challenging you to write self-portrait poems. It's not uncommon to feel like the way people see you on the outside doesn't quite match up with how you feel on the inside. So creating a self-portrait can be a good opportunity to address those differences and present the realest, truest version of yourself.
Your challenge is to create a self-portrait in lines, using words instead of paint. Read on for some more inspiration.
Writing Tips
• Have a go at writing a list of metaphors exploring your physical appearance, starting from your head and working your way down towards your feet.
• Instead of representing yourself directly, take on another character, such as a fictional character, a historical figure, or even a different version of yourself.
• Play around with personification, by taking on the voice of a physical object in your poem. Think about what a self-portrait from the point of view of a mirror, or a bowl of your favourite food would look like?
How to enter
This challenge is for writers aged up to 25 based anywhere in the world. The deadline is 23: 59 GMT, 17 March 2024. You can send a poem, or poems, written down, or as video or audio files. We are using Submittable to accept submissions to this challenge. You will need to make a free Submittable account to submit in this way. Using Submittable helps our team to administrate and process entries more quickly. Selected poets will be published on Young Poets Network.
