EDIT: The deadline has been extended! New deadline: 5 p.m. Friday 10 July 2020.
We are thrilled to announce the launch of our annual poetry competition, this year hosted in partnership with Red Room Poetry.
The competition will open on 21 March 2020 to coincide with World Poetry Day, a day which provides the chance for teachers to celebrate Australian poetry with their students. This year, entrants are asked to write a poem of 20 lines or less about an object. The competition is designed to inspire students to explore how language holds the power to turn ordinary objects into poetry.
What is the prize?
First Place (Primary, Secondary, Teacher)
- $500 cash prize
- Book pack from Copyright Agency (valued up to $100)
- Mentoring session with judge Eleanor Jackson
- Winner’s certificate
Rex prize (Primary and Secondary)
Regional Express Airlines (Rex) will generously award special prizes for regional and remote school communities located within 1 hour of airports serviced by Rex. (Find out if your school is near a Rex airport)
- Rex flights and merchandise
- Poem publication in the Rex inflight magazine True Blue
- Winner’s certificate
Highly Commended (Primary, Secondary, Teacher)
- $20 book voucher
- Judging commendations
Who can enter?
The competition is open to all Australian students in primary or secondary school; young people not in mainstream schools aged 18 and under; and Australian primary and high school teachers.
How do I enter?
- Write a poem (20 lines or less) about an object of your choice.
- Upload your poem via the submission form on the Red Room website.
- Enter before the closing date: 5 p.m. Friday 10 July 2020*.
About Red Room Poetry
Red Room is Australia’s leading organisation for publishing and promoting poetry in meaningful ways. They work closely with educational organisations in building student and school engagement with poetry. Along with the Australian Association for the Teaching of English, Red Room created Poems to Share II, the award-winning teaching resource that assists the teaching of poetic technique.
Read the Terms and Conditions before entering.
*Deadline extension published on 11 May, 2020.