Peter Porter Poetry Prize

Competition deadline: 14th October 2026

The Peter Porter Poetry Prize is organised by the Australian Book Review and honours the life and work of the acclaimed Australian poet Peter Porter (1929–2010), who was a long-time contributor to ABR. The prize is one of Australia’s most prestigious and highly awarded poetry competitions, celebrating outstanding contemporary poetry written in English. The prize will be judged by Mindy Gill, Nam Le, and Felicity Plunkett. The shortlisted poems will appear in the January-February 2027 issue. 

The competition invites poets to submit original, previously unpublished poems of up to 60 lines. Entries may explore any subject and use any style, with submissions judged on their literary merit. Poems must be written in English and submitted online through the Australian Book Review website.

Prizes

The winner will receive AU$6,000.
The other four shortlisted poets will each receive AU$1,000

Who can enter the Peter Porter Poetry Prize?

Entries are welcome from living poets anywhere in the world.
There is no age limit.
ABR staff and board members are not eligible.
ABR contributors, interns and volunteers may enter.

How to enter the Peter Porter Poetry Prize

Entries must be submitted online via the ABR website entry page.
Multiple entries are permitted.
Entries should preferably be a Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx).
PDFs are accepted if necessary for the poem’s format.
Entrants will receive automatic confirmation of receipt.

Format

Entries must be a single poem of no more than 60 lines, written in English.
Font: Times New Roman, 1.5 line spacing, 12 pt, black.
Stanza breaks must be clearly indicated.
The author’s name must not appear anywhere in the document or in the name of the digital file.
The file name should only include the title of the poem.

What does it cost to enter a poem?

Each entry must be accompanied by an entry fee of AU$30, or AU$20 for current ABR subscribers. To qualify for the lower entry fee, entrants must hold a current paid print or digital subscription.
If you don’t already have a digital subscription to ABR, you can purchase a one-year subscription and enter a single poem for a total of AU$100. You can then enter subsequent poems at the discounted rate of $20 each.
If you don’t already subscribe to ABR’s print edition, you can purchase a one-year subscription and enter a single poem for the following rates: $120 (Australia), $200 (New Zealand/Asia), $370 (USA) or $220 (Rest of World). You can then enter subsequent poems at the discounted rate of $20 each.
If you choose not to take a paid subscription to ABR (print or online) when you enter the Prize, you will receive complimentary digital access to ABR for four months. Your complimentary digital ABR subscription will be processed automatically, and you will receive an email with more information after submitting your prize entry. The complimentary digital ABR subscription applies to your first entry only. Subsequent entries for this prize will not result in additional or cumulative complimentary subscriptions. A complimentary ABR subscription does not provide access to the discounted entry fee.

Peter Porter Poetry Prize Terms and Conditions

ABR does not permit the use of generative AI tools in the production of writing, images, or other content published within the magazine or on its digital platforms. Similarly, ABR does not permit the use of generative AI in prize entries. Content submitted to ABR as part of a prize entry may be screened using plagiarism and AI detection software. If the material is found to have been produced using generative AI, it will be excluded.
Entries may be offered elsewhere during the judging of the Porter Prize. If an entrant is longlisted and has their poem offered elsewhere, the entrant will have 24 hours to decide if they would like to withdraw their poem on offer elsewhere or from the Porter Prize. Exclusivity is essential for longlisted poems.
Entries will be deemed ineligible if they are under contract to another publisher or broadcaster.
Poems will be removed from longlists or shortlists if we discover they have been published elsewhere.
Entries must be original works written by an individual living author.
Entries must not infringe upon anyone’s copyright.
Entries must not contain any dedications. If a poem is later shortlisted, a dedication can be added then.
Entries that are deemed to be works of plagiarism will be disqualified.
Authors of longlisted poems not shortlisted will be notified as soon as possible.
Entries must contain nothing obscene, libellous, unlawful, defamatory, or anything ABR may deem to be inappropriate. 
Previously published, prize-winning, or broadcast poems will not be accepted. (Previous online appearances constitute prior publication.)
Poems entered in past Porter Prizes but not publicly shortlisted may be re-entered.
Translations are not eligible.
If entrants subsequently withdraw their entries, the entry fee will not be refunded.
Shortlisted poets may be required to take part in events and media activities.
The prize money also covers digital publication in ABR and in the print edition.
Copyright in the poem(s) remains with the poet.
Should your work be shortlisted and named, pseudonyms will not be acceptable. For publicity reasons, all shortlisted authors must be publicly named.

The Judging Process

Judging is completely anonymous.
The judges are Mindy Gill, Nam Le, and Felicity Plunkett.
ABR reserves the right not to award a prize.
A shortlist comprising a maximum of five poems will be announced and those poems will appear in the January-February 2027 issue of ABR.
The winner will be announced at a ceremony to which all entrants will be invited.
The judges’ decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into about the judgements or the judging process.

See here for further information.

And see here for more competitions on Writing.ie.