The Bruce Dawe National Poetry Prize 2026
For 27 years, Toowoomba has been home to one of Australia’s biggest poetry prizes, drawing thousands of entries from across the country for 27 years. Entries for 2026 are open now.
Bruce Dawe by Sven Roehrs (Fryer Library accession number 100528).
Written by: Sam Kirby
Imagery: Provided
10 July 2026
When people think of Toowoomba's cultural scene, poetry probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind.
We know the city for its gardens, festivals, theatres and growing food scene. And yet for almost three decades, one of Australia's biggest and most respected poetry competitions has been quietly drawing entries from across the country, judged anonymously, awarding thousands of dollars in prize money, and celebrating voices from every corner of Australia.
The Bruce Dawe National Poetry Prize has been running for 27 years. Open to anyone in Australia, entrants can submit between one and five poems of no more than 50 lines each. Every entry is judged anonymously, meaning established names and first-time writers stand on exactly the same footing. It's a philosophy that reflects the man behind the prize.
Bruce Dawe is widely regarded as one of Australia's most influential twentieth-century poets, but his story was anything but conventional. Leaving school at 16, he worked as a labourer, postman and farmhand, served in the Royal Australian Air Force, and went on to become one of the nation's most celebrated literary voices. His poetry found beauty in ordinary Australian life.
"Bruce popularised Australian life, urban and rural, as worthy of sustained literary attention," explains UniSQ Professor Laurie Johnson, Chair of the judging panel and one of Dawe's former students. "This is not to say that his work is simple, just that it can be enjoyed simply."
For Johnson, the connection is deeply personal. Long before becoming an internationally recognised Shakespeare scholar, he sat in Dawe's classrooms at UniSQ, where the celebrated poet became both mentor and inspiration. "Here was a man who never spoke down to his students," he says. "He welcomed their stories, absolutely loved a belly laugh with them. His classes were never dull."
Rather than searching for "the next Bruce Dawe", the competition celebrates originality above all else. "The Prize continues to run with the abiding principle that anybody should be given an opportunity to express their own voice," Johnson says. "We cannot be swayed by reputation. We assess each poem entirely on its own merits."
Each year, somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 poems arrive from across Australia, spanning every style and form, with the 50-line limit the only real restriction.
If you've never thought of yourself as a poet, Johnson has surprisingly simple advice. "Everybody has something to say, and poetry is a vehicle through which to get that out into the world. If you're unsure where to start, begin by reading. Find the words that speak to you, and then you've taken the first step to finding the words in yourself."
The 2026 Bruce Dawe National Poetry Prize is now open. The overall winner will receive $3,000, while two highly commended entries will each receive $500. Whether you're a published author, someone who's quietly filled notebooks for years, or simply curious enough to write your very first poem, the invitation is exactly the same.
Somewhere, someone is sitting at a kitchen table, on a veranda, or in the corner of a library, searching for the right words. They might never have called themselves a poet before. Bruce Dawe would have told them to start anyway.
Entries close 22 September 2026 | $8 per poem | unisq.edu.au/events/2026/04/bruce-dawe
To find out more about Creative Writing and English Literature, and to explore your study options, visit the UniSQ Open Day in Toowoomba on Saturday 15 August.www.unisq.edu.au
Do you have a campaign we should know about? Please let us know!
