Welcome to Science-Poetry
C. P. Snow famously gave a stark analysis in his Two Cultures lecture of the split between Science and Humanities, and argued that the breakdown of communication between the two cultures of modern society was a major hindrance to solving the world's problems.
Some years later, the Engineering Council placed an advertisement in The Times; it ran:
Why isn't there an Engineer's Corner in Westminster Abbey? In Britain we have made more fuss of a ballad than a blueprint...
This prompted the poet Wendy Cope to write a satrical poem, "Engineer's Corner", which included the lines:
We make more fuss of ballads than of blueprints -
That's why so many poets end up rich,
While engineers scrape by in cheerless garrets.
Who needs a bridge or dam? Who needs a ditch?
A poetry competition at The University of Manchester, organised by Dr Peter Fenn, set out to show that the creativity and innovation necessary in science and engineering can inspire poetry too. The competition calls for poems written by any student in the University of Manchester, showing the creative and human aspects of science and engineering.
Rules
Poems in English in any form with a theme of Science and Engineering.
1 poem per entrant.
Judges decision is final (Judging panel at website).
Deadline: 2 March 2018
Prizes
Winner's prize: £200 for the winning poem from Faculty of Science and Engineering; £200 for the winning poem from Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health and £200 for the winning poem from Faculty of Humanities [a winner and prize for each faculty]
Voters' choice: £50 [one prize]
Best tweetable poem (i.e. 140 characters or less): £50 [one prize]
Queries: peter.fenn@manchester.ac.uk
Who can take part?
This is a poetry competition targeted at any poem written by a UoM student, with the theme Science and Engineering.
The competition is open to any student within the University of Manchester with the passion to write poetry. Only University of Manchester students and staff can vote or comment on poems but anyone can read and share the poems.
Submitted poems can be on any topic providing it is within the theme Science and Engineering. Poems can be of any style from an Arlabecca to a Yadu. The choice is yours...! A special prize is awarded for tweetable poems (i.e. 140 characters or less).
Meet the judges
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Wendy Cope
(Poet)
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Lachlan Mackinnon
(Poet)
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Peter Fenn
(School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering)
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John McAuliffe
(School of Arts, Languages and Cultures)
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Judging Process
A point system enables the students to have more of an impact on who the winners shall be. Based on this system, the top 20 poems will be automatically shortlisted. It's pretty simple, and you can get points in the following ways:
Vote
You will be awarded 1 point per vote, so the more points you have the more likely you will win!
Voice
You can earn an additional 5 points if you submit an audio version of your poem along with your written version. This can be done by submitting a link via SoundCloud as part of your submission.
Views
Additional points of up to 5 will be awarded if your poem achieves a certain limit of unique views. You can increase the number of views of your poem by sharing the link to your poem with your friends and family.
The top 20 scoring poems will then be shortlisted for further judging.
What if my poem could be a winner but not getting enough points?
Not to worry! Once the top 20 scoring poems have been selected, Dr. Peter Fenn and Dr. John McAuliffe will hand select a further 20 poems that they feel have the potential to win. From the shortlisted poems, Wendy Cope and Lachlan Mackinnon will decide who the winners are.
Prizes will be awarded to the winner, runners up as well as the poet with the highest score.
Good Luck and Happy Writing!
What's with the colours?
A spectrum is a phenomenon that is observed due to the separation of the components of light by their different degrees of refraction according to wavelength.
For those of you who have entered the competition in the past may recall the previous grayscale website.
We felt it lacked colour too! So, since 2014 we have incorporated colour to the competition to add that extra level of personality and emotion! Upon submission of your works you will be asked to pick a colour that you feel best represents your poem.
The submitted poem shall be displayed on the poet's respective schools section, on the website along with its chosen colour. As we receive more submissions the website will fill up and eventually produce a full spectrum of poetry across EPS!
It is entirely up to you how you interpret the choice of colour!
