On October 20, 2024, the II National Poetry Festival "Dream Odyssey" will kick off in Odessa for children aged 6 to 17. 

Participants can submit their works by filling out the contestant form at this link. All received works will be published on the festival's electronic resource and in the media. The jury will select winners and the best works for further publication in the final almanac. Winners will receive cash prizes and invitations to the festival's gala concert.

The poetry competition aims to develop children's creative potential in writing poetry and to integrate participants into the literary community of Odessa and Ukraine. Workshops and meetings with well-known writers will be held during the festival. 

Participation in the competition is free. 

A press conference will be held on October 18, 2024, at 5:00 PM at the children’s library No. 26, located at: K. Muratova (L. Tolstoy) St., 13.

The project is initiated by poet Ilya Kaminsky (USA) in partnership with the "Odessa – UNESCO City of Literature" office, the Children's Library System of Odessa, the section of children's literature of the Odessa organization of the National Union of Writers of Ukraine, and the newspaper "Evening Odessa". The event is supported by the Department of Culture, International Cooperation, and European Integration of the Odessa City Council.

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The goal of the "Dream Odyssey" festival is to discover and encourage poetically gifted schoolchildren who can share their heartfelt thoughts that inspire and provoke reflection. 

Writing down thoughts on paper allows individuals to feel relief, free themselves from excessive worries, and combat depression. Therefore, especially now, as Ukrainian children endure the horrors of war, this skill becomes a necessity.

The long-term goal set by the organizing committee of the "Dream Odyssey" festival is to foster a talented, kind, and creative generation of people who perceive the world through poetry.