How to enter

Entries for 2026 have closed. Links to the winning and finalist poems will be posted here in late August.

Entry information is updated on this page and emailed to all eligible schools in March of each year the Award is held. If your school has not received Awards information from us by late March and would like to be added to the contact list, or if you have any questions about the Award, please contact the IIML.

During the entry period, the following rules apply:

• Entrants must be Year 12 or 13 students currently enrolled in a New Zealand secondary school, or verified home-schooling equivalent.
• Only one poem per student may be submitted.
• The poem may be on any subject. It must be the original, unpublished work of the entrant and must not have been submitted for other publications or competitions.
• Click on the 'Enter online here' button (displayed above during the entry period), or go to Schools Poetry Award website, fill in the online entry form and upload your poem.
• The writer’s name should only appear on the entry form—not on the poem itself.
• Entries must be received by midnight on the deadline date (to be confirmed for 2027).
• Copyright remains with the individual writers. The International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML) reserves the right to publish the prize-winning entries without further payment.
• The winner and shortlisted poets will be announced on National Poetry Day (Friday 28 August in 2026).
• The judge's decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into.

You can read all the winning and finalist poems on our dedicated Schools Poetry Award website.

For more information, email poetryawards@vuw.ac.nz or phone +64 4 463 6854.