The Live It Nation community organisation has announced it is launching its first-ever annual poetry contest for Samoan secondary school students.

The contest will run until 23 December, according to an announcement made on the organisation’s Facebook page. 

It is the first-ever poetry contest initiated by the Live it Nation Incorporated.

Live It Nation founder, Fred Young, said that literacy is a fundamental component of the success of Samoan youth. 

“It is my hope that the Live Nation Poetry contest inspires students to read and write more, use their imagination to express themselves in creative and extraordinary ways and have fun competing with other secondary students around the nation,” he said.

He added that the response from Samoan young people has been excellent and that he hopes to establish partnerships with other organisations in Samoa. 

“It is exciting to see the response that we have received from the youth of Samoa and the education sector. We hope to partner with stakeholders across Samoa in the future on our education initiatives and projects,” Mr. Young said. 

The Poetry Contest is exclusively for Secondary School students who reside in Samoa.

Students can submit one original poem that must incorporate one of the following themes: Sports, Culture, Education, Health/Environment. 

Poems may be submitted in either English or Samoan.

Three winners will be selected with one each announced in October, November and December. 

Each winner will receive $1000 Tala, Live It Nation merchandise and the winning poems will be published.

Live It Nation, Inc is a non-profit organisation that supports communities across the Pacific by funding small projects and initiatives. 

Poems can either be emailed directly to the organisation ([email protected]) or sent directly to through social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or Twitter. 

Entrants must include their name, village, secondary school name and phone number. Winners will be announced on 23 October; 13 November and 4 December.