Newcastle Poetry Prize
Proudly presented in partnership with the University of Newcastle, the Newcastle Poetry Prize offers one of Australia’s most significant opportunities for poets, with a $15,000 First Prize and publication in the annual anthology.
2026 Newcastle Poetry Prize Winners
Hunter Writers’ Centre and presenting partner The University of Newcastle are pleased to announce poet Greg McLaren as the winner of the 2026 Newcastle Poetry Prize, valued at $15,000.
The anthology is now available via the Hunter Writers’ Centre Bookshop
2026 Newcastle Poetry Prize Winners
| Place | Title | Poet |
|---|---|---|
| First Prize | Late sonnets | Greg McLaren |
| Second Prize | Growing Vegetables | Luoyang Chen |
| Third Prize | my mother walks every day up a hill | Emilie Collyer |
| Harri Jones Memorial Prize | Against the shore and ascending | Mitch Cave | Jan Dean Member Award | Broken Vietnamese: Sonnet Sequence | Duc Dau |
| Kade Fenwick Prize | Harrowing Climates | Peter Mitchell |
About the Prize
For more than forty years, the Newcastle Poetry Prize has celebrated poetry from across Australia. Open to poems of any length up to 200 lines, the winning and shortlisted poems are published in the annual anthology, which captures the diversity of Australian poetry as it evolves.
The Newcastle Poetry Prize is the home of the Harri Jones Memorial Award, which honours the late T.H. (Harri) Jones, a Welsh poet, critic, and lecturer at the University of Newcastle. Established in 1965, the prize recognises the best poem by a poet aged under 36 years, perpetuating Jones’s literary legacy.
Explore the history of the prize and past winners in our previous anthologies.
Read the Terms and Conditions
Read the Frequently Asked Questions
Prize Pool
The Newcastle Poetry Prize offers one of the most substantial prize pools for poetry in Australia, with a total of $22,500 awarded across seven categories:
- First Prize – $15,000
- Second Prize – $3,000
- Third Prize – $1,500
- Harri Jones Memorial Prize – $1,500 (for poets under 36 years)
- Jan Dean Members Prize – $1,000 (awarded to a Hunter Writers’ Centre member)
- Kade Fenwick Prize – $500 (recognising poetry from First Nations and trans voices)
Non-prize-winning shortlisted poems receive a $100 publication fee for each poem included in the anthology.
What's new in 2026
- Winners will be announced and the anthology launched at Newcastle Writers Festival
- The Harri Jones Memorial Prize has been increased to $1,500
- The new Kade Fenwick Prize recognises poetry from First Nations and trans voices.
- The Jan Dean Members Prize honours a long-term member of Hunter Writers’ Centre and a much-loved figure in the local poetry community.
Key Information
Key info
Who can enter: Australian citizens or residents aged 18 years and above.
When to enter: 23 September – 7 December 2025
What to enter: Poems up to 200 lines (title, sub-headings and references included in line count. No minimum length)
Entry fee: $30.25 (HWC members) / $35.20 (non-members). One entry fee = one poem
Key Dates
Submissions open: Tuesday 23 September 2025
Submissions close: 8 pm (AEDT), Sunday 7 December 2025
Shortlist announced: Early February 2026
Winners announcement and anthology launch: Saturday 28 March at Newcastle Writers Festival.
Entry Guidelines
Format: Word documents only (.doc or .docx)
Length: Maximum 200 lines, including title and any subheadings. Numbers used to identify stanzas or sections (e.g. 1., i.) are considered sub-headings. Citations and symbols used indicate breaks, (e.g. ***) are not included in the line-count.
Original unpublished work: Poems must not have been previously published in print or online
Blind submission: Do not include your name in the story or filename
AI policy: Entries must be written by you. Any use of AI tools must be declared
IMPORTANT: Please read the Terms and Conditions. carefully before submitting to ensure the eligibility of your entry.
If you have any questions, or need assistance, please email us at contact @ hunterwriterscentre.org. We’ll be glad to help.
How to enter
1. Read the guidelines:
Before submitting, please read the Terms and Conditions and Frequently Asked Questions.
2. Complete the entry form
Click the button below or click the link to complete the online entry form and upload your poem(s).
If you have trouble accessing the form, or need other assistance, please email contact @ hunterwriterscentre.org
3. Pay the entry fees
- $33 for Hunter Writers’ Centre members
- $38.50 for non-members
4. Check your confirmation
You’ll receive a confirmation email with a copy of your entry form. If it hasn’t arrived within 24 hours, check your spam. Still missing? email contact@hunterwriterscentre.org
After submitting, you will receive a confirmation email with a copy of your entry form. If you don’t receive this within 24 hours, please check your spam folder. If it is still missing, email us at contact@hunterwriterscentre.org
The Anthology
Prize winning and shortlisted poems are published in the annual Newcastle Poetry Prize anthology which captures the diversity of Australian poetry as it evolves.
Late sonnets - 2026 Newcastle Poetry Prize Anthology
In 2026, poet Greg McLaren took home the $15,000 Newcastle Poetry Prize, with his poem ‘Late sonnets’.
Contributing (Shortlisted) Poets:Ann-Marie Blanchard, Owen Bullock, Mitch Cave, Luoyang Chen, Eva Collins, Emilie Collyer, Angela Costi, Duc Dau, Bradley Visaka David, Aloma Davis, Michael Farrell, Nigel Featherstone, Alan Fyfe, Ross Gillett, Kailum Graves, Jennifer Harrison, Perrie Holden, Dr Gershon Maller, Shey Marque, Greg McLaren, Peter Mitchell, Omar Musa, Damen O’Brien, Edie Popper, Ann Shenfield, Ed Southorn, Jo Withers, Vaughan Yager, Gavin Yuan Gao.
Buy the Newcastle Poetry Prize 2026 Anthology – Late sonnets
About Harri Jones
Harri Jones was a talented Welsh poet, known for his contributions to the field of poetry and his published works. Jones had a significant impact on the cultural and literary life of Newcastle during his time as a lecturer and reader at the University of Newcastle. His captivating readings and lectures, delivered with his distinct Welsh voice, left a lasting impression on his listeners. Jones was highly regarded as a lecturer and inspired many of his students to pursue successful careers as writers and academics. His untimely death in 1965 led to the establishment of the Harri Jones Memorial Prize, a perpetual poetry prize that continues to honour his memory and support young poets.
The Harri Jones Memorial Prize, incorporated into the Newcastle Poetry Prize in 2011, honours the late T.H. (Harri) Jones, a Welsh poet, critic, and lecturer at the University of Newcastle. Established in 1965, the prize recognises the best poem by a poet under 36 in the anthology, perpetuating Jones’s literary legacy.
About Kade Fenwick
Kade Fenwick (formerly known as Kait) was queer poet and equity advocate based in Muloobinba, living and writing on Awabakal Country. Their work was widely published in journals and anthologies including Archer, Cordite Poetry review, Butch is not a Dirty Word and the Hunter Anthology of Contemporary Australian Feminist Poetry. In 2018, Kade released their first chapbook, Burning Between with Puncher and Wattman.
Beyond their creative practice, Kade was a transgender public health student and inclusion professional committed to dismantling barriers ad centreing the voices of underrepresented communities. They were named among the 2021 Out for Australia 30 under 30, recognising their achievement and impact as a young LGBTQI+ leader.
Kade was a passionate poet and committed advocate for Indigenous and trans right, and a vibrant presence in the LGBTQI+ community.
In honour of Kade’s memory, their parents, friends and colleagues from USYD have created a $500 prize, sustained over three years. The prize will ideally be awarded to a LGBTIQA+, First Nations poet.
The Kade Fenwick Prize will be awarded as part of the Newcastle Poetry Prize and presented at the Prize announcement during the Newcastle Writers Festival on Saturday 28 March 2026.
About Jan Dean
Jan Dean was born in Newcastle in 1940 and lived in the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie area for most of her life until her death in May 2025. She worked as a Visual Arts for thirty-five years. Prior to her 1995 retirement, she completed a six-month exchange in Tanagura, Japan, which inspired her return to poetry and writing. In 1999 Jan received a Hunter Writers’ Mentorship with Jean Kent. Jan served on the committees of regional writing groups including as the first female President of Newcastle Poetry at the Pub, and in numerous positions with the Hunter branch of Fellowship of Australian Writers (NSW). In addition to her solo publications Shimmer (1996), With One Brush (2007), Paint Peels, Graffiti Sings (2014), and Intermittent Angels (2020), Jan’s writing is represented in numerous anthologies and journals.
As a part of her communing with other writers, Jan loved to enter poetry competitions, to measure the reception of her work. She was awarded Second Place in the Val Vallis Award, and attained Winner and Second place in both the NSW Women Writers’ National Poetry Award and the International Peace Bell Poetry Award (Cowra). Most importantly to Jan, she was awarded the Local and Members’ Prize section of the Newcastle Poetry Prize. She loved this award. She would be honoured to have this named in her memory, as are we.
Shortlist
2026 Newcastle Poetry Prize Shortlist
Hunter Writers’ Centre, in partnership with Presenting Partner, The University of Newcastle, has announced the shortlist for the 2025 Newcastle Poetry Prize. This year’s shortlisted poems will be published in the annual anthology, and will be launched at the Newcastle Poetry Prize winners announcement at the Newcastle Writers Festival on Saturday 28 March.
The anthology is now available for pre-order.
| Title | Poet |
|---|---|
| Medea with the Graceful Feet | Ann-Marie Blanchard |
| Systolic | Owen Bullock |
| Against the shore and ascending | Mitch Cave |
| Growing Vegetables | Luoyang Chen |
| Warsaw 1953 | Eva Collins |
| my mother walks every day up a hill | Emilie Collyer |
| I have been running all my life | Emilie Collyer |
| A Revised History of Embroidery | Angela Costi |
| Broken Vietnamese: Sonnet Sequence | Duc Dau |
| endeavour hill aunties | Bradley Visaka David |
| Susurrance | Aloma Davis |
| Doppelgangers Are Over | Michael Farrell |
| Inconvenience | Nigel Featherstone |
| The Wire Tied Sky | Alan Fyfe |
| Shelving | Ross Gillett |
| Anatomically Modern Human: Patch Notes | Kailum Graves |
| Noah's Arc | Jennifer Harrison |
| Driving By Cows | Perrie Holden |
| Cleave Orchis | Dr Gershon Maller |
| Little Book of Songs | Shey Marque |
| Late sonnets | Greg McLaren |
| Sequence — “Harrowing Climates” | Peter Mitchell |
| There Is No Word For Bipolar | Omar Musa |
| Holes | Damen O’Brien |
| On Kafka & Cardiac Surgery | Edie Popper |
| The Waiting Room | Ann Shenfield |
| Hyphae | Ed Southorn |
| On My Watch | Jo Withers |
| 90 | Vaughan Yager |
| Dear Apparition | Gavin Yuan Gao |
Introducing the Judges
Eunice Andrada
Eunice Andrada is the author of three books of poetry. Her debut Flood Damages (Giramondo Publishing, 2018) won the Anne Elder Award and was a finalist for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Poetry and the Dame Mary Gilmore Award. Her second poetry collection TAKE CARE (Giramondo Publishing 2021) has gained many honours as a finalist for the Judith Wright Calanthe Award, Stella Prize, Australian Literature Society Gold Medal, and two NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. Her third poetry collection KONTRA (Giramondo Publishing) is forthcoming in October 2025.
Jennifer Compton
Jennifer Compton lives in Melbourne. Recent Work Press published her 11th book of poetry – the moment, taken – in 2021. Her third book, Blue, was shortlisted for the Kenneth Slessor Prize For Poetry; her sixth book, Barefoot, was shortlisted for the John Bray Poetry Award; her seventh book, This City, won the Kathleen Grattan Award; her tenth book, Mr Clean & The Junkie, was longlisted for the Ockham NZ Book Awards. In 2013 her poem, Now You Shall Know, won the Newcastle Poetry Prize. She very much appreciates being given the big cheque but she also relishes the hurly burly of the open mic and is an avid performer. So she was delighted to be included in the UQP anthology of Spoken Word, Solid Air. Her 12th book of poetry, Still, is forthcoming.
Presenting Partner
