Children and young people in years K-12 are encouraged to enter Australia’s largest and oldest poetry competition for students. Each year over 6,000 entries are received from students all over Australia.
The Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards seek to capture the imaginations of school students across Australia, inspiring them to express their thoughts and feelings through poetry in their pursuit of literary excellence. This year, the Awards are celebrating 40 years.
This year’s optional theme is ‘Listen, I have an Idea’. Students can take inspiration from the theme or write about the topics most important to them. There’s an opportunity to win cash prizes and trophies. Every student is recognised with a participation certificate.
Helpful learning resources are available to assist students with creating their poetry, and there are also resources for teachers to use in the classroom. Students can find inspiration from last year’s presentation ceremony and look through the interactive presentation which links to the 2023 winning poets reciting their poems as well as the key speakers.
More information
Entries close on 5pm AEST Sunday 30 June 2024. Results will be announced in early September.
Visit the Dorothea Mackellar Memorial Society’s website for full details on how to enter. Learn more about the poetry of Dorothea Mackellar.