Photo ©Ellie Kurttz

The CLiPPA (Centre for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award) is the only award that celebrates outstanding poetry published for children in the UK.

Each year, the CLPE invites publishers to submit their published poetry collections to the CLiPPA judging panel, who select a winning collection to be announced at the annual award ceremony. As part of the celebration, they run a shadowing scheme for schools, giving children the chance to learn more about poetry and practice performing their favourite poems from the shortlisted collections.

Winning shadowing schools are then invited to perform at the CLiPPA Award ceremony, which is live streamed to schools across the country, and includes performances from the shortlisted poets alongside live drawing by former Children’s Laureate Chris Riddell.

Award-winning poet Liz Berry will chair the 2024 CLiPPA judging panel and she is joined by teacher and writer Darren Chetty, Billie Manning of the Poetry Society, Imogen Maund, teacher and UKLA representative, and Laura Mucha, who was shortlisted for the CLiPPA in 2022.

As part of the shadowing scheme, the CLPE provide free teaching plans and video resources to support your class to 'shadow' each shortlisted poetry collection and perform their favourite poems. They invite schools to send in videos of their children performing for the team to watch and one school per shortlisted collection will be chosen to perform live at the award ceremony, alongside the shortlisted poets.

You can watch the 2023 event here. 

And click here to take a look at performances from the 2023 winning shadowing schools, to inspire your performances!

Schools can now register to take part in the scheme which will begin on the 8th May, alongside a live virtual announcement of this year's CLiPPA shortlisted collections. Winning schools will be invited to perform live at the award ceremony in July. Register your school for this year's CLiPPA Shadowing Scheme here.

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@CLPE