The Malaysian Poetry Writing Competition 2021 was held from early April to 31 July 2021. The competition organised and sponsored by University of Nottingham Malaysia drew great interest and an overwhelming response. A total of 1913 poems were submitted by 860 poets and the age range of the poets was from early teens to mid-eighties.
The poems went through several rounds of judging and 123 poems were selected for the final round. These poems were judged by Wong Phui Nam, poet and writer, Melizarani T Selva, spoken word poet and Eddin Khoo poet, writer, translator and journalist.
Dr Jason Pandya Wood, Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Nottingham Malaysia said, “I’m really pleased to see that this competition has drawn so much attention and so many poets have submitted their work. The School of English at University of Nottingham Malaysia is actively involved in promoting creative writing through its undergraduate and post-graduate programmes. We are also happy to promote poetry writing through this nation-wide competition”.
The Chair of the competition, Emeritus Professor Malachi Edwin Vethamani informed the winners of the competition will only be announced at the prize giving ceremony. The following were the shortlisted poets and their poems: Che Lyn Li, ‘Elegy of My Tongue’; Chloe Hor Yin Yee, ‘Kota Kemuning’; Lim Jack Kin ‘Year of the Rat’; Che Lyn Li, ‘Your English is Good’; ‘Yee Heng Yeh, ‘Sultan Ismail’s Photographs from May 15, 1969’; Kristine Rimas Lee, ‘Ceremonial Cleaning at a Reunion’; Allison Jong Chia Ning, ‘A Ui/Ux Review of You’; Lim Jing Yi, ‘Rape Culture Pyramid’ and Hannah Ling Shu En, ‘Compass’.
The long-listed poets and poems are: Hazelynn anak Rimbar, ‘Messages from Petara’; Mohammad Ismim Putera bin Nawawi, ‘Jantina’; Ding Xue Er, ‘On the Cusp of Twenty-Four’ Loshni Nair, ‘Thalai Ezhuthu’; Eric Chow Kok Chean, ‘An Ox in a China Shop’; Chloe Hor Yin Yee, ‘The Swing of Things’; Haarshini Sivaparanjothi, ‘Jane’; Arvina Kaur Gill, ‘Momento Mori’; Kristine Rimas Lee, ‘A 21st Century Observation of a Chinese House’; Abhiraamee A/P Ayadurai, ‘One Brief Moment’ and Yee Heng Yeh, ‘Time Travel’.
The following poets and their poems received honourable mentions: Vinothini A.P Ananda Krishnan, ‘One Indian Female’; Matthew Jerome van Huizen, ‘Tiroi’; Syahida binti Johan, ‘Connection’; `Ainin Sofia bt Kamarudin, ‘Home’; Lim Jack Kin, ‘Sheraton Hotel Staff’; Noor Aishah binti Mat Dahan, ‘Ephemerality’; Khayma Latha A/P Balakrishnan, ‘Brown’ and Amir bin Muhammad, ‘On A Photograph of Annuar Musa Eating Maggi’.
Maya Press, the co-sponsor of the competition will publish a volume of the winning poems entitled, ‘Best Malaysian Poems: Selected Poems from Malaysian Poetry Writing Competition 2021’.
The date and venue for the prize-giving ceremony is being finalised and all poets will be informed of the details.
Posted on 8th November 2021