June 16, 2026 07:28am
A Year 7 pupil from The Portsmouth Academy has been crowned the winner of our Planet Protectors creative writing competition.
Earlier this year, the Thinking Schools Academy Trust launched Planet Protectors in schools; a week-long celebration of how we can all work together to look after the environment.
Throughout the week, staff and students engaged with tailored activities to support with learning practical ways to reduce their environmental impact.
To support this, we challenged students across The Portsmouth Academy to write a poem about why it’s so important to protect our planet, and what they can do to help. This led to seven pupils across multiple year groups becoming our finalists, before a mystery judge determined the winner.
That mystery judge was Mark Waldron, Editor in Chief from The News, Portsmouth, who determined Diana, from Year 7, should take the crown with her poem ‘The Ocean’s Cry’. Her poem impressed with its vivid imagery around protecting our seas and marine life; something so important in a coastal city.
A special mention also goes to Sugoud and Yasna, also from Year 7, whose poem ‘The Ghost in the Cup’, was highly commended by Mark. Diana was ‘shocked’ to find out she was the overall winner, finishing above some strong poems written by her peers.
"I was trying really hard and it felt good because my work paid off. Writing (the poem) was time consuming but I’m glad because it raises awareness about plastic pollution”.
Mark recognised Planet Protectors as a ‘brilliant initiative’ which gets students at our school, and others across the trust, engaged with environmental issues.
“I was delighted to award the certificates and prizes to these wonderful students here at The Portsmouth Academy.
“Their creative talent to produce such impactful pieces of work is truly remarkable and they should feel so proud of themselves.
"Our environment and planet are so precious, and Planet Protectors is a brilliant initiative to get students actively engaged with a topic so important in today's world".
Planet Protectors isn’t just for its dedicated week, it’s a year-long trust-wide focus about showing how young people can positively change their future.
At The Portsmouth Academy, we’re proud to give pupils just like Diana, Sugoud and Yasna the opportunity to showcase their talent, while also having a bigger impact for their community.
Mrs S. Dedman, Principal at The Portsmouth Academy, praised the engagement from pupils across our school with the competition, and how those who received this special recognition lead the way as role models.
“It’s brilliant to see so much wonderful engagement with our creative writing initiative this year, and Diana, Sugoud and Yasna fully deserve their accolades.
“At The Portsmouth Academy, Planet Protectors was about more than just looking at environmental issues, it’s getting our pupils to understand the vital role they can play as active citizens in their local community and beyond.
“We’re proud to work with our students to help them discover how they can aspire and achieve beyond the curriculum, and poetry remains such a powerful way to strengthen their voice as young people”.
This competition wasn’t just about finding a winner; it highlighted how young voices at The Portsmouth Academy are developing creative talent and speaking up about issues important to them.
