Winners of the poetry and spoken word competition 'Utrecht: Your place, your words' announced
For the lustrum year, Utrecht University launched a poetry/spoken word competition to encourage people to share their experiences of identity, belonging, and living together in Utrecht. Congratulations to the winners, and to everyone who participated, thank you!
Jury winners
The winners of Utrecht: Your place, your words, as chosen by our jury members, Gandolfo Cascio (chair), Kila van der Starre, Hanneke van Eijken, Iris Brunia, Paul Feld en Wafa Alawi, are:
In the age category '18 and under':
- De oudegracht, by Zera (18)
- De dame aan de Hof ter Weijdeweg, by Sylke (15)
In the age category 'over 18':
- Bobby regarde le ciel, by Eddy (65)
- Overvecht launderette, by Ady (27)
The jury also commended the following poems for their quality:
- No movement, by Louisa (18)
- Stadsleven, by Florine (18)
- Herman, 47, by Frouke (72)
- Topography of a Borrowed Presence (Notes on a Home that Never Converges), by Sandeep (51)
- Fiets (NL) / Rower (PL), by Magda (24)
FC Utrecht tickets
The tickets for an FC Utrecht match have been awarded to Redouan (13) for his poem FC Utrecht. The poem was well received by both the audience and the jury, and his love for FC Utrecht shines through clearly in the poem.
Prizes and publicity
The winners of the poetry contest will receive their prizes during the Utrecht University Lustrum Festival on 12 September 2026. In the autumn, several poems will be displayed and showcased at locations throughout the city and region. Details about these exhibitions will be announced on the “Poetry on the street and at home” webpage.
About this initiative
In 2026, Utrecht University and UMC Utrecht celebrate their 390th anniversary. Under the motto “Connect. Create Change.”, collaboration with one another, the city, and the region takes centre stage. “Utrecht: Your Place, Your Words” is part of the project “Poetry on the street and at home”, an interdisciplinary initiative that creates space for experiences of identity, belonging, and living together, expressed through poetry or spoken word. Words connect us and give us the power to question the present, remember the past, and imagine even better ways of living together in the future. The initiative has been made possible in part through the support of Institutions for Open Societies and the support of project initiators Kila van der Starre and Hanneke van Eijken.