After our online poetry “teach-in” last term, where Dr Jonathan Stalling presented the Jueju session How and Why to Write Classical Chinese Poetry in English we are pleased to announce that the Newman Prize for English Jueju, a poetry competition sponsored by the OU Institute for US-China Issues at the University of Oklahoma, is open for submissions from your students, with a prize of $500 (US).
The deadline is 26 February 2021. The Newman Prize for English Jueju is awarded every two years to the best classical Chinese poems written in English, and it offers an opportunity for teachers, students and adults to learn and explore a new creative form.
Teaching Resources to Introduce Jueju (and the competition) to your students
As you will know Jueju became popular among Chinese poets in the Tang Dynasty (618–907) and has remained the most popular genre of Chinese poetry to this day. Jueju poems are always quatrains (four lines) and have lines of five or seven monosyllable words each.
Through the Newman Prize for English Jueju, students are leading the way in introducing this poetic form to the English-speaking world. By using their own language as if it were Chinese, English speakers learn deep cultural concepts that have guided Chinese civilization for thousands of years.
To discover online resources to help you as a teacher introduce this format and idea to your students, please click on the links provided at the bottom of this page.
Contest Guidelines
The Newman Prize for English Jueju is open for submission for the best classical Chinese poems written in English. A fantastic opportunity, with a prize of $500 for the best UK English Jueju. This is the first time this has been open to students in the UK and is offered as a collaboration between the University of Oklahoma and the UCL IOE CI for Schools.
Please submit your poem by 26 February 2021 to newmanpoetryaward@ou.edu
For full guidelines, information and resources, visit the Newman Prize for English Jueju website and read the Flyer.
The website Poetry Daily is featuring a translation and essay on English Jueju by Dr Jonathan Stalling.
To engage more with both the competition, and giving feedback on the teaching resources, Dr Stalling would love to hear from you! If you are happy to receive updates on resources, the competition and to give your feedback, please enter your details below.
