'Year Of The Rat' pandemic poem picks up top Malaysian Poetry Writing prize

The winning entries as well as notable poems will be published by Maya Press in the 'Best Malaysian Poems: Selected Poems From Malaysia Poetry Writing Competition 2021' anthology early next year. Photo: Unsplash

Lim Jack Kin won the Malaysian Poetry Writing Competition 2021 award for his pandemic-inspired poem Year Of The Rat, which was judged the best from the 1,913 entries submitted by 860 participants nationwide.

“My poem was inspired by everything that was going on around me in 2020. It was truly the year of the rat, in more ways than one,” shares Lim, 25, a poet, podcaster and arts writer based in Subang Jaya, Selangor.