Queensland Poetry Awards prize money increases

The Queensland Writers Centre has announced increases in the value of its Queensland Poetry Awards, which has opened for entries this week.

Award categories and their first-place cash prizes are:

• Arts Queensland Thomas Shapcott Poetry Prize for an Unpublished Manuscript: $5000 (2024 value: $2250)
• Arts Queensland Val Vallis Award for an Unpublished Poem: $3500 (2024 value: $1500)
• Oodgeroo Noonuccal Prize for Indigenous Poetry: $3500 (2024 value: $2500)
• XYZ Prize for Spoken Word: $3500 (2024 value: $1250).

One runner-up in each category except spoken word will receive $500.

The Thomas Shapcott Poetry Prize winner also receives development and publication with the University of Queensland Press (UQP). Last year’s winner was Eva Phillips for Borrow-or-Rob.

Meanwhile, Westerly will publish the winner and runner-up in the Val Vallis Award category.

The winner and runner-up for the Oodgeroo Noonuccal Prize for Indigenous Poetry and the winner of the XYZ Prize are also set to be offered publication.

Entries for the awards are open until 16 September.

Category: Awards