Elevate, Comox Valley Arts and Cumberland Brewing Company present the first-ever Show Us Your Poem Poetry Contest.

鈥淲e鈥檙e all poised and ready to emerge like butterflies, anxious to display the magnificence of our wings after the arduity of prolonged lockdown,鈥� said spokesperson Bobby Herron. 鈥淲e鈥檇 like to give you the opportunity to express yourself in the form of poetry. You don鈥檛 have to be a published or accomplished poet to enter. Give us your best original poem.鈥�

Categories are: haiku, free verse, verse (containing traditional elements - rhyme, structure) and kids. The deadline for submissions is June 20. Winners will be announced on July 2 on Facebook and the Elevate website (/).

Submissions can be of any theme.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to confine your creativity and desire for self-expression by having a theme,鈥� said Herron, in a press release. 鈥淲rite about anything you want. What kind of imagery would you like to convey? Perhaps you鈥檙e experiencing a new romance or miss the tactility of human togetherness. Maybe you鈥檝e developed a new relationship with nature through gardening, walking or biking and want to explore this.鈥�

There will be cash prizes and judges include a former Comox Valley poet laureate and others from the creative community.

Poems can be submitted as a word document, as text or as an audio file or video. Make sure you provide a text version for possible publication. To submit your poem in the form of your choice, go to .