The National Schools Poetry Award has been providing a forum for young writers in Aotearoa New Zealand since 2003. The law firm Bell Gully was our major sponsor from 2003 to 2007 when New Zealand Post picked up this important role. In 2009 we said goodbye to New Zealand Post as our major sponsor and the 2010 Award was suspended, along with the National Schools Writing Festival which has been run alongside the Award since 2004. The support of Creative New Zealand has enabled us to reinstate the Award from 2011. 2013 funding is still subject to confirmation.
In addition to our major sponsor, the Award is generously supported by our prize partners: The New Zealand Book Council, the New Zealand Society of Authors, the Bolton Hotel, Victoria University Press, Booksellers New Zealand, and the literary journals Landfall and Sport.
The Poetry Award is a significant creative opportunity offered to every senior secondary student in New Zealand. The energy and clarity of the work produced is exciting. Whether addressing family or friends, world-shaking events or intimate relationships, the poems are delivered with style, wit and courage. If you would like to join us in fostering the work of our newest and most promising writers, please consider becoming a sponsor or prize partner for the Award.
The benefits we offer in return include:
- your logo on posters in a poetry pack sent to nearly 500 secondary schools around New Zealand
- your logo on colour posters of winning poems in towns and cities around New Zealand
- acknowledgement or inclusion of your logo in relevant media releases
- permanent recognition as a major sponsor or prize partner on our website
If you are interested in sponsoring this Award, please contact:
Damien Wilkins on modernletters@vuw.ac.nz
