Hunter Writers’ Centre, in partnership with Presenting Partner, the University of Newcastle, is pleased to announce the shortlist for the 2025 Newcastle Poetry Prize.

Thirty outstanding poems have been selected by judges Eunice Andrada and Jennifer Compton. The shortlisted works will be published in the 2025 Newcastle Poetry Prize anthology, which will be launched at the Prize announcement as part of the Newcastle Writers Festival on Saturday 28 March. Preorders for the anthology are now open via the Hunter Writers’ Centre bookshop.

‘For more than forty years, the Newcastle Poetry Prize has supported poets working seriously with the form. It’s a pleasure to see that level of craft recognised,’ said Katherine McLean, Director of Hunter Writers’ Centre.

The University of Newcastle’s sponsorship of the $15,000 First Prize reflects its longstanding commitment to literature and the arts and its support of Australian writers.

The Newcastle Poetry Prize is distinctive in its commitment to the long-form poem, inviting poets to explore work up to 200 lines. This format rewards sustained attention to voice, structure, and movement, and offers readers an immersive poetic experience.

Learn more at Newcastle Poetry Prize 2025.