2025 Calanthe Collective Prize for Unpublished Poetry
Calanthe Poetry is proud to announce
The Calanthe Collective Prize for Unpublished Poetry 2025
Initiated in 2022, this is the fourth year the prize has been running, attracting entries from across Australia and around the globe.
Designed to encourage aspiring and current poets and looking for exceptional poems on any theme, the competition has two categories:
Open Category
Open to poets of any age who have not yet had a book or chapbook published, either commercially or by self-publication, by March 31, 2025
Under 18 Category
Restricted to high school aged people
The Prizes
Open Category Winner: AUD$1000.00
2 x Highly Commended: AUD$250.00 each
Calanthe Poetry especially thanks Lily Fields, the sponsor of the Open Category
Under 18 Category Winner: AUD$400.00
2 x Highly Commended: AUD$100.00 each
Calanthe Poetry especially thanks Jena Woodhouse and anonymous donors for their sponsorship of the under 18 Category
Entrants may submit up to a maximum of three individual poems
All poems are reviewed blind, the reviewers having no knowledge of personal details
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
Submissions are open from January 1 to March 31, 2025
No entries will be accepted after March 31, 2025
Short-listed poets will be advised by May 17, 2025
Winners will be advised by May 31, 2025
Unsuccessful entrants will not be contacted
The Winner in each category and the Highly Commended poems will be announced and celebrated at the
Calanthe Poetry Spring Garden Party
on Tamborine Mountain, Qld, on Sunday September 14, 2025, with the poets presenting their winning poems.
The Winning and Highly Commended entries will be published on the Calanthe Press website: www.calanthepress.com.au
ENTRY FEES:
Open Category: AUD $10.00 for each individual entry
U18 Category: FREE
Payment may be made by Bank Transfer to:
Calanthe Press: Suncorp Bank
BSB: 484799
Account No: 120925373
Please use your NAME as a reference on the bank transfer. If submitting more than one poem, fees may be deposited together, eg, three entries can be deposited as AUD $30.00
For International payments for the Open Category, please contact calanthepoets@gmail.com
PLEASE READ CONDITIONS & PROCESS CAREFULLY BEFORE SUBMITTING ENTRIES
The Conditions
1. Any individual poem published previously anywhere, including in a commercial anthology, may not be submitted
2. Each poem must not exceed 50 lines
3. No additional edits will be allowed to the poems once they have been submitted
Process
1. Poems are to be submitted as MS Word (Microsoft Word) documents
2. Each poem must be submitted as a separate entry in separate MS Word files, with the category clearly nominated (Under 18 or Open). Multiple entries in one MS Word document will not be accepted
3. Do not include any identifying information (name, emails etc) within your submitted document. (That is, the document you write your poem on.) We read all work blind and failure to follow this rule will result in a rejected and unread submission
4. Submissions should be sent to calanthepoets@gmail.com
5. Receipts will be sent for each entry and its payment
Any entries which do not adhere to the above will be disqualified
Disclaimer: Please note that we will never accept content that would be considered offensive to marginalised groups
HOW YOU CAN HELP US
Calanthe Poetry is keen to learn the reach of the competition and where entrants heard about it so, in a covering email with your entry, it would be very helpful if you would tell us the following:
1. The state (if living in Australia) or the country where you live
2. Where you heard about the Calanthe Collective Prize for Unpublished Poetry 2025. For instance:
· Website
· Social Media (please state)
· Queensland Writers Centre
· Word of Mouth
· School
· Other (please state)