Key Dates

Entry Fees 

Open Section

$25 per poem entry 

Youth Section

4 poems for free (12-18 years) – additional entries $5 per poem

Key Dates

Opened 1st June 2026

Closes 30th September 2026

Awards Ceremony

22 November 2026 – 2:00pm

The Awards Ceremony will be a hybrid event available online and in person in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges on the 22nd November 2026 at 2:00pm.

Terms & Conditions

Competition Opened |  1st June 2026

Competition Closes | 30th September 2026

 

Awards Ceremony - Hybrid Event: 

22 November 2026

 Competition & Award Dates

Terms and Conditions of Entry  

Woorilla Poetry Prize 2026 - Entry Terms and Conditions

The Hills Arts Alliance is proud to work in collaboration with Woorilla Poetry Prize. Entries open at 12:00am 1st June, 2026 and close at 11:59pm on 30th September 2026. 

Late entries will not be accepted.

The competition is open to anyone, including overseas applicants.

Categories and relevant fees per poem are:

‘Judith Rodriguez’ Open Section - $25 each

‘Louise Rockne’ Youth Section (ages 12-18) - FREE entry first 4 poems, $5 per additional poem

Participants in the 12 - 18 year old age group are eligible to compete in the Woorilla Youth Section at no cost for 4 separate entries. Additional entries are charged at $5 per poem

 If desired, Youth entrants are also eligible to submit pieces for the Judith Rodriguez Open Section and Ekphrasis Section at set rates

Prizes are:

Judith Rodriguez Open Section - $3,500 (Winner) & $500 (Runner Up)

Louise Rockne Youth Section - $300 (Winner) & $100 (Runner Up)

Awarded Prizes:

Prizes will be awarded at a special event on Sunday 22 November, starting at 2pm at the Hills Hub in the Dandenong Ranges, Victoria as well as streamed online. All entrants are cordially invited to the Awards Event.

Entry Conditions:

• Participants in the 12 - 18 year old age group are eligible to compete in the Woorilla Youth Section at no cost for 4 separate entries. Additional entries are charged at $5 per poem
• If desired, Youth entrants are also eligible to submit pieces for the Judith Rodriguez Open Section and Ekphrasis Section at set rates
• Poems should be composed in English and may be up to 80 lines per poem.
• Poems must be the original work of the entrant.
• Entries must not have been previously published or broadcast (print or electronic, including social media), or a prize winner in any other competition.
• If the judges have read part or all of your entry prior to making your submission you cannot submit that poem.
• Fees will not be refunded under any circumstances
• Submissions will not be returned

• You may make corrections to your poem until the competition is closed, by emailing woorillapoetry@gmail.com and requesting your submission is opened for editing.

• If you wish to swap your poem or resubmit, normal fees will apply.

• Members of the Hills Arts Alliance are eligible to enter the Woorilla Poetry Prize.
• Copyright remains the domain of respective entrants. However organisers retain the right to publish prize-winning pieces on the Woorilla website and/or as a commemorative hard-copy compilation featuring respective award winners.
• Poems that are published in the annual Woorilla Prize Booklet may be edited to fit in with printing guidelines and overall design of the booklet.
• Entrants are invited to submit a video or audio recording of their poem as part of the entry process. This is not mandatory and will not affect the judging process in any way.
• By submitting a video or audio file, you are authorising The Woorilla Poetry Prize to use this recording for promotional purposes, during and after the awards presentation, whether your poem is short listed or not.
• Woorilla organisers reserve the right to withhold awarding prizes in any given year in the event of insufficient entries, or due to lack of acceptable literary standards.
• Adjudication of Woorilla Poetry Prize Judge(s) is final, and no correspondence will be entered into, following each annual poetry prize event.
• There is no limit to the number of entries each poet may submit, providing the appropriate entry fee is paid for each poem submitted.
• Entries may be submitted in hard-copy format or lodged electronically
• Hard-copy entries should be printed as single-sided individual copies.
• While typewritten / printed copies are preferred, legible hand written entries are acceptable.
• Typed entries must be double-spaced and using a standard 12 point font such as Times New Roman or Arial

• Hard copy entries may be posted to Woorilla Poetry Prize, C/O Hills Arts Alliance Incorporated P.O. Box 103, Emerald 3782. If posting hard copy poems, please either include a cheque in Australian Dollars for entry fees, made out to Woorilla Hills Arts Alliance Incorporated or pay entry fee by direct deposit to: Hills Arts Alliance Incorporated Inc BSB: 633 000. Acct No: 230 701 377. Be sure to identify your name and poems in the reference section

Judging Process

The use of AI in any form is prohibited for this competition. Judges have the right to refuse to judge any poem they believe has been written or edited using Artificial Intelligence.

Entries must not have been previously published or broadcast (print or electronic, including social media), or be a prize winner in any other competition, although poems that have been submitted to other competitions without winning may be entered. If the judges have read part or all of your entry before making your submission, you cannot submit that poem.

2026 judges

• Toby Fitch - Judith Rodriguez Open Section
• Maxine Beneba Clarke - Louise Rockne Youth Section

Fees will not be refunded under any circumstances

Please ensure the poem you upload is the correct poem. Any changes required to the poem will require you to withdraw and resubmit your entry, which will incur an additional fee, where relevant.Changes may be made to the entry form (Eg. Poem title, your name or contact details), up until the competition closes, by requesting the entry is 'Opened for Editing'. Note, this does not allow changes to uploaded files.

• As all entries are subject to a blind judging process, the applicant’s name nor any identifying matter must not appear anywhere on the poem. 
• Entries that identify the poet's name, will be disqualified and no refunds provided.
• Submissions will not be returned
• Judges decision are final and not subject to review

Woorilla Poetry Prize is a not for profit poetry competition run by volunteers who are passionate individuals, that believe in the power of poetry and supporting existing, up and coming and especially young emerging poets. Any assistance you can give will help grow and sustain this annual competition

Donate

Woorilla Poetry Prize

Phone | 03 59684291

Email | woorillapoetry@gmail.com

Mailing Address

Postal Address PO Box 103, Emerald, Vic, 3782, Australia

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