Overland literary journal

2009 Overland Judith Wright Poetry Prize for New and Emerging Poets, sponsored by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation

The major prize is $3000, with two minor prizes of $500.

The winner of the 2009 Overland Judith Wright Poetry Prize for New and Emerging Poets is Derek Motion, for his poem ‘forest hill’.

The runner-up for this year is Duncan Hose, for his poems ‘SOUTHWEST’ and ‘lyrebird’.

The three highly commended entries this year are by Aden Rolfe ‘Exchanges’, Sarah-Jane Norman ‘images of surgery’ and Ella O’Keefe ‘glaze’.

What makes their work stick out from the pile (this year a whopping 925 poems high) might have something to do with the cross-fertilisations that are happening between poets as readers and writers, as they participate across a networked community of practice (that may include, but is not exclusive to, formal study). For me this loose-knit community is where a lot of the energy and action in Australian poetry is, and I look forward to seeing these poets release first books (in whatever form ‘the book’ will come to take in early twenty-first century publishing).

— from Keri Glastonbury’s 2009 Judge’s Report

Presentation Event

Saturday 29 May at 12.30 pm, Emerging Writers’ Festival

Overland magazine poetry editor Keri Glastonbury presents the winning poets from the Overland Judith Wright Poetry Prize for New and Emerging Poets, supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation.

Enjoy readings from the winning poets, plus a special presentation by the Age poetry editor Gig Ryan on beginning a poetic career.

Where: Swanston Hall, Melbourne Town Hall
When: Saturday 29 May, 12.30pm
This is a free event.

For more about Judith Wright’s contribution to Australian poetry and Australian life, check out Georgie Arnott’s review of Wright’s correspondence.

Entry form | guidelines | 2008 results |

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