Reviving poetry award for young New Zealanders

Victoria University of Wellington’s International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML) is aiming to revive New Zealand’s only national poetry competition for high school students through crowdfunding.

The National Schools Poetry Award was established by former IIML director Emeritus Professor Bill Manhire in 2003 and over 300 young poets from across the country entered the competition each year until it was cancelled in 2014.

That decision resulted from a lack of funding to run the competition. The IIML wants to revive the award and has established a fundraising campaign which has already attracted support from Creative New Zealand.

The IIML’s goal is to raise $18,000 over the next two months via Boosted, a crowdfunding website which aims to remove barriers between artists and those who choose to fund them.

Professor Damien Wilkins, Director of the IIML, says the competition is about much more than a winning poem—he says English teachers use the award as a way of generating excitement around creative writing.

Ten shortlisted secondary school poets come to Wellington for a weekend of workshops, hosted by the IIML, with some of New Zealand’s best known poets. When they return to their schools, says Professor Wilkins, they become ambassadors for creativity.

“With the public’s help we can deliver a full award, including running the workshops which are a vital part of the experience and of promoting poetry throughout our high schools.”

Previous shortlisted poets have gone on to study creative writing at tertiary level, won other national writing prizes for emerging writers and  been published in national magazines and literary journals. 

2013 runner-up Ruby Solly from Western Heights High School in Rotorua describes the workshop as a highlight of the year. “I became very committed to writing as I had been given a taste of what it was like to be with other writers and to see what kind of course or occupation I could end up in as a poet.

“The workshop showed me various ways of both 'sparking creativity' and refining my work to make it the best that it could be.”

To donate to the Boosted fund for the National Schools Poetry Award, visit: https://www.boosted.org.nz/projects/national-schools-poetry-award