Vincent Buckley Poetry Prize

About

The Vincent Buckley Poetry Prize is a biennial award that supports an Australian poet to visit Ireland, or an Irish poet to visit Australia.

This prize is offered biennially. The funds enable an Australian poet to visit Ireland, or an Irish poet to visit Australia; each subsequent prize is made alternately.

In 2026, the award supports an Irish poet to visit Australia.

Applications open

13 April 2026

Applications close

6 July 2026

Benefits

$20,000

Eligibility

To be eligible for this prize, applicants must:

• have a publishing record which can include online works that are not self-published;
• be residing in Ireland; and,
• be planning to visit Australia for the purposes of furthering your creative work.

Selection criteria

The recipient will be determined after considering the quality and literary merit of the submitted work as assessed by the selection committee.

Conditions

Recipients are required to:

• accept the award online within 21 day; and,
• acknowledge the Faculty of Arts and the name of the award, Vincent Buckley Poetry Prize, in any publication produced as a result of the award and where possible, assist the Faculty of Arts in promoting the award.

Outcome

Applicants will be advised of the outcome via email.

Application process

Eligible applicants must complete the online application form, including:

• a 500-word statement describing how you would use this prize, activities to be undertaken in Australia and how the support would positively impact your creative work;
• a collection or volume of poems written in English;
• a one-page list of publications; and,
• a two-page resume.

Apply

Enquiries

artsawards-info@unimelb.edu.au

About the donors

The Vincent Buckley Poetry Prize was established to commemorate the life and work of the late Vincent Buckley; poet, critic and professor of English at the University of Melbourne. It is a biennial award that is offered alternately to enable an Australian poet to visit Ireland and to facilitate the visit of an Irish poet to Melbourne. The Prize has been made available through generous donations from family and friends of Vincent Buckley.

Recipient feedback

The people I met and places I saw in Ireland resonated deeply. During my trip I attended the Cork International Poetry Festival, participated in five poetry workshops, ran one poetry workshop, gave five poetry readings, met dozens of poets and writers, travelled more than 1700 miles, and found my ancestral home outside Lorrha, Tipperary. I will write at least one novel and several poems as a direct consequence of the Buckley prize.

Joel Deane

The information listed here is subject to change without notice. Information describing the number and value of scholarships awarded is indicative.