Last Chance to Enter the Whitsundays Literary Heart Awards Poetry Prize

Entries close Friday 26 June 2026
Winner: $1,000 | Runner-up: $500
Open to original, unpublished poems of up to 50 lines
$20 entry fee applies

The Whitsundays Writers Festival is reminding poets across Australia that entries for the 2026 Whitsundays Literary Heart Awards Poetry Prize close this 11:59pm Friday 26 June.

Part of the festival’s national Heart Awards program, the Poetry Prize celebrates original, unpublished poetry that demonstrates creativity, imagination, and a distinctive voice. Open to poets of all experience levels, the award aims to discover new voices while recognising the enduring power of poetry to capture ideas, emotions, and experiences.

The winner will receive $1,000, with $500 awarded to the runner-up, and both will be recognised at the 2026 Whitsundays Writers Festival on Sunday 13 September at the Whitsunday Marine Club, Cannonvale.

Festival Director Richard Evans said the Poetry Prize is an opportunity for writers to share their work with a wider audience.

“Poetry has a unique ability to say something profound in just a few lines,” Mr Evans said.

“The Heart Awards are about celebrating creativity and providing opportunities for writers to have their work recognised. Whether you’ve been writing for years or have a poem sitting in a notebook waiting to be shared, we encourage you to enter.”

Poems must be original, unpublished works of up to 50 lines. Entries are judged on originality, creativity, and expression.

The Poetry Prize is one of the Whitsundays Literary Heart Awards, a national celebration of Australian literary excellence that also includes a Short Story Award in both Open Age and Under 18 divisions.

Entries close at 11:59pm on Friday 26 June 2026.

Full details and entry forms are available via the Whitsundays Writers Festival website.