British Science Association : Universe Winners

When I look out at the sky each night
I let my imagination take flight

The opening lines of one of the winning entries to the universe poetry competition speaks for many of the two thousand poets who submitted entries. The poem, written by Hugo Small, Southampton, won joint first prize (4-7 year olds) in the competition, part of National Science Week 2005.

First prize in the adult category went to Gordon Judge for his imaginary conversation with Einstein, “I once saw Einstein on a train”.

‘I’ve written a number of poems on scientific themes in the past, but never one on Einstein’s work,’ says Gordon, a retired engineer from Horsham, Sussex. ‘The competition asked us to write poems on time, space and energy; I thought I would try all three. I’d tried to get to grips with relativity some time ago and thought this would be a good challenge.’

Gordon says that he owes his poetic endeavours to his wife and her interest in geology.

‘We went on a field trip to Peacehaven Beach with the Horsham Geological Field Club and Professor Rory Mortimore of Brighton University. It was his exquisite explanation of the origins of chalk and flint that triggered something within me to try and explain geological concepts in verse and helped develop my interest in poetry.’

Since then, Gordon has been publishing his poems at www.Gwjudge.eurobell.co.uk. He has come runner-up in a number of local competitions, but has never won a national competition.

The complete list of winners is as follows:

Adult - Gordon Judge, Horsham, Sussex
16-18 - Victoria Ellis, Esher, Surrey
12-15 - Simon Arch, King Charles I School, Kidderminster
8-11 - Emily Birch, Pembridge Hall School, London
4-7 (Joint) - James Lockyer, Freegrounds Junior School, Southampton
4-7 (Joint) - Rory Shaw, Carlops, Peebles-shire
4-7 (Joint) - Hugo Small, Freegrounds Junior School, Southampton

Entrants had been invited to submit poems on the themes of time, space and energy, to tie in with Einstein Year. Author Terry Pratchett, astronomer Sir Patrick Moore and the Muppet scientists Beaker and Dr Honeydew were amongst those who wrote poems for the competition.

‘Science, and in particular physics, is very poetic in its description of the natural world,’ says Roland Jackson, Chief Executive of the BA. ‘Science and poetry are both valid and complementary ways of describing the world around us. For National Science Week, we wanted to engage people’s artistic sides as well as their scientific curiosity. Everyone has a poem up their sleeve; this much is clear from the phenomenal number we received.’

To enable the winners to take their stargazing beyond pen and paper, they will each receive a telescope, courtesy of PPARC.

To read the winning poems, visit the universe website.

Listen to BBC's Today Programme discussing the competition here.