Wesley Michel Wright Prize

About

The Wesley Michel Wright Prize is awarded for an original work of verse or poetry.

Applications open

13 April 2026

Applications close

22  June 2026

Benefits

Up to $5,450 is available and only one award will be offered from this amount. Award payments will be made as a single lump-sum.

Eligibility

To be eligible for this prize, you must:

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

Selection criteria

The recipient will be determined after considering the quality and creative merit of the submitted original verse or poetry as assessed by the selection committee.

Conditions

Recipients are required to:

• accept the award online within 21 days;
• acknowledge the Faculty of Arts and the name of the award 'Wesley Michel Wright Prize' in any promotional material produced as a result of the award money and where possible, assist the Faculty of Arts in promoting the award.

Outcome

Applicants are advised of the outcome via email within 8-10 weeks.

Application process

Eligible applicants must complete the online application form, including:

• 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.

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

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

Apply

Enquiries

artsawards-info@unimelb.edu.au

About the donors

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 with the purpose of awarding an Australian author of original verse or poetry.

Recipient feedback

Jarad Bruinstroop

I’m thrilled to be joining the list of esteemed past winners of the prize which includes some of my favourite Australian poets. I’m excited to use this prize to buy myself some precious writing time and to develop my practice so I can continue to contribute to the Australian poetry community into the future.

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