Human Dynamics, a renowned International Development and Public Sector Consultancy based in Vienna, Austria, is organising its very first poetry contest on Climate Change and the Environment. In anticipation of the momentous COP-22 UN Climate Change conference, which will take place in the city of Marrakech this year, we are requesting submissions from poets between the ages of 18 – 35, who are based in Marrakech, Oujda, Benslimane and Agadir, and are able to be present for the beginning of the COP-22 conference on the 7th of November in Marrakech, Morocco.
Human Dynamics believes that all people should have the right to a life lived in a clean, ecologically friendly and sustainable environment. Climate change is an existential threat to all of humanity, caused primarily by carbon dioxide released from the burning of fossil fuels. There are, however, things that can be done to counter this process. Climate change is a global problem, and reductions in emissions made anywhere in the world have the same positive effect as those made locally. Tackling Climate change requires us to think locally, and to think globally.
In a major multinational effort, covering all of Northern Africa and much of the Levant, Human Dynamics is leading a consortium to deliver the project Cleaner Energy Saving in Mediterranean Cities (CES-MED) — to increase the uptake of environmentally sustainable solutions within the region. CES-MED operates in Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, and Palestine – providing training and technical assistance so that local authorities may formulate and apply sustainable policies to meet and exceed the European Union CO2 reduction objectives by 2020.
The COP-22 UN Climate Change conference will take place in the city of Marrakech this year. Human Dynamics aims to use the power of poetry and the positive impact of words to raise awareness of an issue that can no longer be ignored. Our wish is to make this an annual competition, to be held in the respective country where the COP is to be held, and to engage the local communities to respond to the challenge of tackling Climate Change. The poetry competition this year will provide Moroccan poets, from Marakech, Oujda, Agadir and Benslimane with an opportunity to
Eligibility
The Human Dynamics Climate Change Poetry Competition is open from 14th of October until the 28th of November. Submissions are eligible from poets, between the ages of 18 – 35, who are based in Marrakech, Oujda, Benslimane and Agadir and are able to be present for the beginning of the COP-22 conference on the 7th of November 2016. Submissions contrary to the spirit of human rights, the values of Human Dynamics and personal dignity, will not be considered. Neither will work which is deemed to be racist, sexist, homophobic, or derogatory towards any group or person because of their ethnic, religious, or cultural heritage. Team members of the “CES-MED” project, Human Dynamics and their family members are not eligible to enter the poetry competition.
Format
We are seeking poems on the themes of:
Climate Change
The Changing Environment
The Changing Landscape of the City
Pollution
Ecology
Nature
Poems can be submitted in either Arabic, French, or English – and MUST be 10-24 lines in length. We kindly request that poems submitted in Arabic and French are accompanied by an English translation- to better aid our international judges in making their decision. All poems have to be submitted through the poetry submission email:
poetry.competition@humandynamics.org (word, doc. or pdf. files are accepted).
Due to the volume of entries, it’s not possible for us to acknowledge individual receipt. Only the winning entrants will be contacted.
Jury
The judging panel consists of Human Dynamics affiliates and/or members, who have a background in climate change, poetry and literature. Assisting in the judging process is Jenny Lewis, an English poet, playwright and songwriter, specialising in cross-arts collaborations of poetry, music, dance and visual art who teaches poetry at Oxford University. Jenny has a long association with the poetic culture of the Arab world, and took part in The Al Kalima International Forum of Poetry in 2015. In 2014 she published ‘Taking Mesopotamia’ (Oxford Poets/Carcanet), a personal collection of poems which explore her father’s experience in the Middle-East during the First World War.
Prizes
The best poems established by the jury will be compiled and published on the Human Dynamics website. The winning poet will give a reading of their entry after the presentation of the award, at the COP22 in Marrakesh, Morocco, during the CES-MED Side event on the 7th of November.
Readings will be in the original language, and in English (if possible)
1st prize – One week expenses paid residency in Vienna and a certificate (travel costs incl.)
2nd prize – Fair phone – An Ecologically Sound, Fair-trade Smartphone.
3rd prize – A Solar Power-Energy Bank
The final ten entrants may be invited to include their work in a future collection.
Prior to the public announcement of the winning poems the authors will be notified by Human Dynamics.
Legal
All poems remain the property of the respective writers. By submitting a poem to the competition each participant agrees that the poem is published on the human Dynamics Website, and on its affiliated social media accounts and publications. Furthermore, participants agree that the submissions are distributed and published through the Human Dynamics partner networks in offline and online digital and print media.
Timeline
11th October – 28 th October:
Poems are collected through our email: poetry.competition@humadynamics.org .
28th October – 1st November:
Poems are distributed to each jury member and evaluated.
2nd – 4th November:
All Winners are notified by email and the first-prize entrant is invited to the COP22 CES-MED Side event
7th November:
The name of the winner in the poetry competition is publicly announced at the COP22 CES-MED Side event and on the human Dynamics Website.
Fees
The competition is free and there are no fees applicable for submission.
Frequently Asked Questions
The minimum length for each poem is 10 lines, and the maximum is 24 lines.
How will travel, expenses and accommodation in Vienna, be provided to the winning poets?
We will get in touch with the authors via email to clarify which option is the most suitable.
Unfortunately we cannot accept poems that are submitted after the deadline.
No. All Human Dynamics and CES-MED project members, and their family members, are not eligible for participation.
Our intention is to organise the poetry competitions as an annual event, preceding the COP conference each year. COP-22 will be held in Morocco this year.