Eligibility

To be eligible for this scholarship, you must:

• be an author of original verse or poetry;
• be an Australian citizen; and,
• have published the poem in the 12 months prior to the closing date in print or digital book or journal form.

Selection criteria

Eligible applicants must complete an online application including the following:

• publication details including the current ISSN or ISBN number for your book or journal publication, or the web address of work published electronically;
• a poem or a collection of poems in English of between 50 and 500 lines. Poems can be consecutive poems or selected from different sections of your book to make up the line requirement. Title, stanza breaks and footnotes are not included in line count. If your entry is part of a hard copy book, upload the extract you would like to submit for judging; and,
• copy of proof of Australian citizenship (passport, birth certificate, citizenship certificate, etc.) The selection committee may request your original copy at a later date.

Only one application can be made per book. Multiple applications, on separate application forms, will be considered if they are from different published works.

Works that have previously been submitted as entries for the prize will not be considered.

Submit a scholarship application now

Applicants will be advised of the outcome via email.

Wesley Michel Wright

Wesley Michel Wright was an alumnus of the University of Melbourne who achieved a Bachelor of Arts in 1951.  Mr Wright left a gift in his will supporting the Wesley Michel Wright Prize in Poetry with the purpose of awarding an Australian author of original verse or poetry.