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General Information
This year's judge is New Zealand's current Poet Laureate Ian Wedde. The entry deadline is 13 June and the winning and shortlisted poems will be announced on National Poetry Day, 27 July. All finalists will be invited to attend a poetry masterclass at Victoria University's International Institute of Modern Letters on 1 September.
The Award is free to enter and open to Year 12 and 13 New Zealand students across New Zealand.
Details and an online entry form are also on our Schools Poetry Award website, and entry forms will be posted to all eligible schools in March.
Read the 2011 winning and finalist poems.
Read about the 2011 finalists' masterclass (251KB PDF), held at Victoria University's International Institute of Modern Letters, and view images from our Photo Gallery.
The National Schools Writing Festival, which has previously accompanied the Poetry Award, will not be held in 2012.
Media Releases
| Document | File size | File type |
|---|---|---|
 Winners 2011 |
243 KB | |
| Winners 2009 |
42 KB | |
| Winners 2008 |
165 KB |
2012 Prizes
First Prize
- A $500 cash prize for the winner.
- A $500 book grant for the winner’s school library.
- An invitation to attend a one-day poetry masterclass at the International Institute of Modern Letters on Saturday 1 September, including flights and one night’s accommodation at the Bolton Hotel for students outside the Greater Wellington region.
- A year’s membership of the New Zealand Book Council and the New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA).
- A year’s subscription to two leading New Zealand literary journals; Sport and Landfall.
- A copy of The Exercise Book from Victoria University Press.
- A $50 Booksellers Token from Booksellers New Zealand.
Runners-up Prizes
- a $100 cash prize.
- An invitation to attend a one-day poetry masterclass at the International Institute of Modern Letters on Saturday 1 September, including flights and one night’s accommodation at the Bolton Hotel for students outside the Greater Wellington region.
- A year’s membership of the New Zealand Book Council.
- Professional development leaflets from the New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA).
- A year’s subscription to Sport, one of New Zealand’s leading literary journals.
- A copy of The Exercise Book from Victoria University Press.
- A $50 Booksellers Token from Booksellers New Zealand.
The Poetry Kit
The Poetry Kit is a free, downloadable resource produced by the International Institute of Modern Letters for students and their teachers to use in the lead up to the Award and beyond.
The Kit includes writing exercises, links to useful and inspiring creative writing websites and tips on writing from internationally acclaimed poets, and is updated and added to each year.
Writing poetry is about allowing the unexpected in so the word magic can happen. One way to invite the unexpected is to use a writing exercise that will open you up to the surprises and potential of language. The six exercises in this year's Kit may spark a poem or an idea for an Award entry. They will, at the very least, get the pen moving across the page.
| Document | File size | File type |
|---|---|---|
| The Poetry Kit |
462 KB |
Download writing resources and judges' reports from previous years.
Sponsors
Primary Sponsor
Prize Partners
And thanks to Neogine for creating our dedicated Schools Poetry Award website to showcase the winning and shortlisted poems.
History
The National Schools Poetry Award was first awarded in 2003, with the law firm Bell Gully as major sponsor. This inaugural award was judged by Gregory O'Brien and won by Mia Gaudin from Epsom Girls Grammar School. The 2004 award, judged by Glenn Colquhoun, was won by Poppy Haynes from Chilton St James School. The 2005 award, judged by Bernadette Hall, was won by Kirsti Whalen from Epsom Girls Grammar School. The 2006 award, judged by James Brown, was won by Alisha Vara from Rangi Ruru Girls' School.
In 2006 the shortlist was increased from six to ten students, with an expanded package of prizes, including a one-day poetry masterclass at the IIML in Wellington for all finalists. For the first time the judge, James Brown, was invited to recognise a small number of additional poems with a special commendation.
In 2007 we said goodbye to Bell Gully and welcomed New Zealand Post as the Award's new major sponsor.
The 2007 New Zealand Post National Schools Poetry Awards, judged by Andrew Johnston, saw the introduction of a new Recording Prize category.
Chloë Nannestad of Epsom Girls Grammar School was the overall winner, while the recording prize was won by Shannyn Boyd of Hutt Valley High School.
In 2008 the Best Poem category, judged by Paula Green, was won by Manon Revuelta of Epsom Girls Grammar School. The Best Lyric category, judged by Samuel Flynn Scott, was won by Sonya Clark of Karamu High School.
In 2009 the Best Poem category, judged by Jenny Bornholdt, was won by Charlotte Trevella of Rangi Ruru Girls' School. The Best Lyric category, judged by Jason Kerrison, was won by Sam Hickson of Middleton Grange School.
In 2009 we also said goodbye to New Zealand Post as our major sponsor and the 2010 Award was suspended, along with the National Schools Writing Festival which has been run alongside the Award since 2004. The support of Creative New Zealand enabled us to reinstate the Award in 2011.
The 2011 Award was judged by New Zealand's current Poet Laureate Cilla McQueen. The overall winner was Eden Tautali of Auckland's St Cuthbert's College.
In addition to our major sponsors, the Award is generously supported by our prize partners: The New Zealand Book Council, the New Zealand Society of Authors, Booksellers New Zealand, the Bolton Hotel, Victoria University Press and the literary journals Landfall and Sport.
Read previous winning and shortlisted poems here.
Find out how to enter.