The 2026 Poetry By Heart competition opens today, National Poetry Day, 2 October with a special preview of the new documentary feature film which showcases the competition’s impact. Poetry By Heart: The Movie is an uplifting film and celebration of the power of choosing, learning and sharing poetry.

Since late-2024 Poetry By Heart has been working with an independent production company run by producer Fern Scott on a feature film documentary about the nation’s biggest poetry recitation competition. To mark the launch of the 2026 competition, Poetry By Heart is releasing a never before seen scene from the film, which is currently in post-production and follows teachers and children in schools across the country as they choose poems that speak to them, learn them by heart, perform them out loud for friends and classmates, and finally experience the thrill of performing at Shakespeare’s Globe.

The film showcases the surprising impact that Poetry By Heart has had on young people: from poetry being used to create unity in challenging environments, to encouraging young people to explore and manage their emotions, and giving them a life-long love of the spoken word. Poetry By Heart: The Movie is an uplifting film, a celebration of poetry for everyone

Poetry By Heart The Movie has been filmed in schools up and down the country, from Newcastle to the Scilly Isles, Dorset to the Wirral, Great Yarmouth to Barrow. It features fabulous freestyle entries, and moving classic performances; it records pupils staying after school on Fridays just to be a part of poetry club. It stars teachers and pupils as they practise their poems, run competitions and perfect their video submissions.

“National Poetry Day proves that poetry belongs everywhere” says Dr Julie Blake, co-founder and co-director of Poetry By Heart, “but it has a special place in schools. As revealed in our movie, teachers and the young people who take part in Poetry By Heart understand the joy, satisfaction and deep learning that comes from knowing a poem by heart. Our film shows that learning poetry by heart is enjoyable and transformative; it illustrates the confidence gained in performing a poem for others, and the development of skills related to oracy. It shows how, by engaging with a poem’s meanings, developing their own personal response and crafting their performance of a poem for others, pupils understand poetry better and enjoy it more. It’s also full of the sheer joy of learning and speaking poetry.”

“We can’t wait to release our film on a big screen in 2026 and in the meantime, we urge all schools to sign up now for Poetry By Heart. It doesn’t have to be a big undertaking but however you choose to take part, the impact will be huge.”

Founded in 2013 by former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion and Dr Julie Blake, Poetry By Heart is open to all schools and colleges in England. It invites young people to choose a poem they love, learn it by heart, and perform it out loud. Schools hold internal competitions to select their own winners, with the best from each region invited to a Grand Finale at Shakespeare’s Globe, London to compete for the title of national champion.

It is loved by teachers and young people: over 1,600 schools took part in 2025; 128,000 young people performed a poem by heart out loud for others; and over 4,300 were entered into the competition final.

Participation and access to the website’s outstanding poetry teaching resources is free.