Newcastle Poetry Prize 2026 winners announced

The Hunter Writers’ Centre has announced the winners of the 2026 Newcastle Poetry Prize.

The winners in each category are:

First place ($15,000)

• Greg McLaren for “Late Sonnets”

Second place ($3000)

• Luoyang Chen for “Growing Vegetables”

Third place ($1500)

• Emilie Collyer for “my mother walks every day up a hill”

Harri Jones Memorial Prize ($1500)

• Mitch Cave for “Against the shore and ascending”

Jan Dean Member Prize ($1000)

• Duc Dau for “Broken Vietnamese: Sonnet Sequence”

Kade Fenwick Prize ($500)

• Peter Mitchell for “Harrowing Climates”.

Judge Jennifer Compton said of the winning poems: “I had been reading ‘Late sonnets’ and loving on its succinct, reflective mindfulness, the way it moves through looping, soaring, retreating enigmas of perception and acceptance, leavened by humour. Then I came upon my morning glory in the last line and a half. ‘morning glory / surfs the fence, climbs the verandah toward this chair.’ Yes! I said to myself. Yes!”

Each of the winning and shortlisted poems will be included in the annual Newcastle Poetry Prize Anthology.

Last year’s winner was Christopher (Kit) Kelen for “Dombóvár”.

More information is available on the Hunter Writers’ Centre website.

Category: Awards Local news