Holbrook student wins second place in a poetry festival

Year 9 student from The Royal Hospital School in Holbrook, Daniel Otsapa took part in the Oxford Canal Festival Poetry Competition, last month. 

He entered his poem titled 'The Way of the Water' in the 12 to 18-year-old category, which won him second place in the competition. 

The judges said that Daniel's poem showed creativity, depth and originality. 

Daniel entered the competition during his summer break.  (Image: Royal Hospital School) Commenting on his success, Irfan Latif, Headmaster of the Royal Hospital School, said: “We are incredibly proud of Daniel’s achievement in this highly regarded competition.

"His dedication to his craft, and the recognition of his talent by such prominent figures in the literary world, is an inspiration to all of us at RHS.

"We look forward to seeing how Daniel’s creative journey will continue to flourish.”

The Oxford Canal Festival Poetry Competition is an annual event that encourages young people to express their connection to the natural world through poetry.

Daniel entered the competition during the summer break and his poem was on the topic of exploring water and its significance in nature and human life.

Distinguished authors were present at the award ceremony. (Image: Royal Hospital School) The competition was hosted by Kate Oldfield, founder of The Writing Well.

At the award ceremony renowned authors Sir Philip Pullman, author of His Dark Materials, and Roy McFarlane, the Canal Laureate, were in attendance to present the prizes.

Mr McFarlane said: "I chose the title The Ways of Water to encourage people to write about canals and any other form of water that they feel drawn to, celebrating both the wonders and the importance of our waters. 

"And we have received so many fantastic poems, from close by in Oxford and from far away in other countries. We have had over 500 entries across the three categories and I loved the whole process of reading them."