Newcastle Poetry Prize
Submissions Close Sunday 6 December 2026, 8pm AEDT
Now in its 45th year, the Newcastle Poetry Prize
is one of Australia’s richest and longest running single-poem prizes,
with a $21,000 prize pool and publication in the annual anthology.
About the Prize
A project of Hunter Writers’ Centre, the Newcastle Poetry Prize has celebrated poetry from across Australia for 45 years. Open to poems of any length up to 200 lines, the winning and shortlisted poems are published in an 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 continues to offer one of the most substantial prize pools for poetry in Australia, with a total of $21,000 awarded across seven categories:
- First Prize – $10,000
- Second Prize – $5,000
- Third Prize – $2,500
- Highly Commended – $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
- Due to changes in funding the prize pool has been restructured. First prize is set at $10,000, with second prize and third prize increased to $5,000 and $2,500.
- Thank you, University of Newcastle. After 20 years of support, 2026-27 marks the University’s final year sponsoring the Prize. We thank the University of Newcastle and celebrate their two decades of partnership.
Key Information
Key info
Who can enter: Australian citizens or residents aged 18 years and above.
When to enter: From Monday 28 September until Sunday 6 December, 8 pm AEDT
What to enter: Poems up to 200 lines can be entered.
Entry fee: $30.25 (HWC members) / $35.20 (non-members). One entry fee = one poem
Key Dates
Submissions open: Monday 28 September 2026
Submissions close: 8 pm (AEDT), Sunday 6 December 2026
Shortlist announced: Early February 2027
Winners announcement and anthology launch: Saturday 3 April 2027 at Newcastle Writers Festival.
Entry Guidelines
For a more detailed overview of the Entry Guidelines, please read Terms and Conditions of Entry
Format: Word documents only (.doc or .docx).
Length: Maximum 200 lines, including title and any subheadings.
Original work only: 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
Before submitting, please read the Terms and Conditions and Frequently Asked Questions.
Click the button below or click the link to complete the online entry form and upload your poem. There is no limit to the number of entries, just remember that each poem requires its own entry and fee.
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
Every year, the Newcastle Poetry Prize anthology showcases the winning and shortlisted works, capturing the craft and spirit of the best in Australian poetry. It is both a celebration and record of the poems that speak to the zeitgeist of our times.
To purchase last year’s anthology, Late sonnets, 2026 Newcastle Poetry Prize Anthology, visit our bookshop.
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
Support the Prize
For 45 years the Newcastle Poetry Prize has been one of Australia’s most significant prizes for poetry, awarding a prize pool more than $20,000 each year, and publishing the best new work in its annual anthology.
In 2026-27, we are building new partners to carry the prize forward, and we need you help.
How you can help:
- Enter the prize. Submit a poem and be part of the Newcastle Poetry Prize’s 45th year.
- Buy the Anthology: Read the best new Australian poetry. Check out the quality and support Hunter Writers’ Centre’s ability to deliver the Newcastle Poetry Prize.
- Support Hunter Writers’ Centre by becoming a member. Support our work, get some benefits, and be eligible for the Jan Dean Member’s Prize (Become a Member)
- Donate to Hunter Writers’ Centre, and help us to champion Australian poetry. Donate here.
- Share the Newcastle Poetry Prize, with your friends, poets and writers in your community.
Help Us Find a Champion
We are building new partners, sponsors and supporters for the Newcastle Poetry Prize—businesses, philanthropists, foundations and patrons who’d like to champion Australian poetry, and support the continued evolution of one of Australia’s longest running poetry competitions.
Get in touch by emailing us at contact@hunterwriterscentre.org
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.
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.
Introducing the Judges
Magdalena Ball
Magdalena Ball is a novelist, poet, reviewer, interviewer, Vice President of Flying Island and Managing Editor of Compulsive Reader. She has published several novels and poetry collections, most recently, Bobish, a verse-memoir published by Puncher & Wattmann. A new book, Exotic Matter, is forthcoming in Feb 2027 from Liquid Amber Press.
Grace Yee
Grace Yee is the author of Chinese Fish (Giramondo, 2023; Akoya UK, 2026), which won the Victorian Prize for Literature and the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry at the Ockham NZ Book Awards. Her second book is Joss: A History (2025). She lives in Melbourne, on Wurundjeri land.
Presenting Partner
