Poets are invited to pay tribute to British Columbia’s farmers as part of the annual Farmers Appreciation Week celebrations, Sept. 12-18.
The B.C. Association of Farmers’ Markets is seeking submissions of farm-themed poems from poets of all skill levels. People must submit their poems to the Ode to a Farmer Poetry Contest by midnight on Sept. 18.
“Last year we received a record 120 submissions of farm- and food-inspired poems and we are hoping to exceed that again this year,” said Georgia Stanley, the association’s communications manager, in a press release. “We encourage everyone to take a few minutes and consider the immense skill, time and dedication that goes into growing the fresh food we value. It’s challenging work and worth celebrating everyone involved.”
All poetry styles are accepted including sonnets, limericks, haiku and others.
People can submit their poems online at http://bit.ly/2bJYwYD or by e-mailing info@bcfarmersmarket.org.
The grand prize winner will receive a $150 gift certificate to a B.C. Association of Farmers’ Markets’ member market of their choice. A regional winner will receive a $50 gift certificate to a B.C. Association of Farmers’ Markets’ member market of their choice.
Winners will be chosen by a judging panel made up of writers Ronda Payne, Renee Sarojini Sakikar, Trevor Hargreaves and Fred Steele. Winners will be chosen based on relevance to the theme, the judges’ impressions, poetic structure, spelling and grammar and originality.
During Farmers Appreciation Week people are also invited to attend local events, farmers’ markets and learn about local food production in their communities.
People are invited to use the hashtag #BCfarmersweek to promote the event.
For more information and contest rules please go to www.bcfarmersmarket.org.