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Judges: Ali Cobby Eckermann and Toby Fitch

The prize

Established in 2007 and supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation, the Overland Judith Wright Poetry Prize for New and Emerging Poets seeks outstanding poetry by writers who have published no more than one collection of poems under their own name (i.e. writers who’ve had zero collections published, or one solo collection published). It remains one of the richest prizes for emerging poets, and is open to poets anywhere in the world.

In 2017, the major prize is $6000, with a second prize of $2000 and a third prize of $1000. All three winners will be published in the first issue of Overland’s print magazine of 2018.

Details

Competition closes 11.59 pm, 26 November 2017. Please read the entry guidelines below before submitting, and enter via one of the links at the bottom of the page.

You may also be interested to read last year’s judging notes and winning poems.

The judges

Ali Cobby Eckermann is the author, most recently, of the poetry collection Inside My Mother (Giramondo Publishing, 2015) and the memoir Too Afraid to Cry (Ilura Press, 2013).

Toby Fitch is poetry editor of Overland, and program director for the Australian Poets Festival and the Sappho Books Poetry Reading Series. His books include Rawshock (Puncher & Wattmann 2012), which won the Grace Leven Prize for Poetry, Jerilderies (Vagabond 2014) and, most recently, The Bloomin’ Notions of Other & Beau (Vagabond 2016).

Entry conditions

Major prize: $6000
Second prize: $2000
Third prize: $1000

All three finalists will be published in Overland 230, autumn 2018.

1. The award is open to poets who have had no more than one solo collection of their work commercially published (that is, writers who’ve had zero collections published, or one solo collection published by a publishing house with commercial distribution).
2. The prize is open to Australian and international writers.
3. Poems must be unpublished (including online) and not under consideration by other publishers.
4. Poems that have won or are under consideration in other competitions are not eligible.
5. The winning poems will be published in Overland.
6. All submitted poems may also be considered for publication in Overland.
7. Entries must be submitted electronically via the Overland submittable system.
8. An entry fee of $12 for Overland subscribers and $20 for non-subscribers will be charged. It is possible to become a subscriber and simultaneously enter the competition at a special price of $56.
9. The name of the poet must not appear on the manuscript (including the header or footer) since all poems will be considered anonymously.
10. Poems must be no more than 80 lines.
11. Multiple entries are permitted, though a separate fee applies to each poem.
12. Please ensure you are satisfied with your poem before submitting. Poems that are withdrawn and subsequently resubmitted will incur a second fee.
13. The competition closes 11.59pm, Sunday 26 November 2017.
14. The judges’ decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into.
15. Overland staff and board members, and their families, are prohibited from entering. All previous, current and ongoing contributors are eligible to enter.
16. Winners will be announced in February 2018. Subscribe to the Overland email bulletin to receive announcements as to the results.

Enter the 2017 Overland Judith Wright Poetry Prize as a:

new subscriber – $56

(Includes $12 entry fee and $44 subscription)
Writers can subscribe to Overland for one year (four issues) at a discounted rate, and enter the competition at the special subscriber rate. Take out a new subscription and enter the Judith Wright Poetry Prize.

current subscriber – $12

Current Overland subscribers enter the competition at the special subscriber rate of $12. Current subscribers enter the competition here.

non-subscriber – $20

Entry to the competition for non-subscribers is $20. Non-subscribers enter the competition here.

The Judith Wright Poetry Prize is supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation