The Showtime writing competition for 2008

Judging the Showtime writing competitions each year is never easy. Whether that particular year's contest is to find the outstanding one-act play, short story, news item or - as is the case this year - poem, is a job for the experts. We at Showtime lay down the parameters (see below), but the task of disseminating the entries goes to independent experts in their field. Showtime has no say in who will be the eventual winner. And it is already apparent, from the high quality of your entries already received, that this year's judges are going to have their work cut out selecting an overall winner.

This time around we would like you to write a poem focusing on the environment. You can write on any environmental aspect, from whatever viewpoint you choose. You may wish to highlight global warming, over-development, deforestation, the disappearance of species and the rainforest, etc... Your poem can be whatever you want it to be, dramatic, romantic, satirical, funny. In strict iambic pentameter, blank verse... whatever.

We'd like you to confine your entry(ies) to between 10 and 20 lines... or even shorter. No epic poems, please.

As usual, entries should be sent to:

The Showtime Writing Competition 2008, Allied Newspapers Ltd, 341 St Paul's Street, Valletta.

The competition is open to all readers of The Times and Sunday Times, but not to employees and dependants of Allied Newspapers Ltd.

Each entry (you may send as many as you like) must be your own work and previously unpublished. It must also be in the English language.

All entries must reach us by October 31 and will be judged by a panel of distinguished local writers. And of course the judge's decision is final.

This year we are expanding our prize base.

The winner will be entitled to a luxury weekend for two at the five-star Corinthia Palace Hotel, Attard. He/she and his/her partner will also be entitled to one free meal at the Corinthia's famous Rickshaw restaurant.

And that's not all. The winner will also receive:

From Allied Retail and Commercial Ltd: €120 worth of books.

From Masquerade: Two tickets for each of their performances throughout 2009.

From the St James Centre For Creativity: Two tickets per month to the St James cinema.

We look forward to receiving all your entries.