NZPS International Poetry Competition 2026 –

OPEN

Our popular annual competition will OPEN on March 15, 2026, and will close at midnight Aotearoa New Zealand time on May 31, 2026.

Who are the 2026 judges? Go here to find out.

You can enter in the following categories:

Open 18+ years. No theme.

Open Junior 17 years and under. The theme is IDENTITY, which the poet can interpret in any way. For example: mistaken identity, identity theft, how a person identifies themselves within society, within themselves, etc.

Haiku 18+ years

Haiku Junior 17 years or under. Here is a handy teacher’s guide for writing haiku. The 2026 haiku junior judge, Sandra Simpson, has also made available a quick guide for senior students and juniors.

School groups – Haiku Junior and Open Junior

HOW DO I ENTER THE COMPETITION?

To reduce administrative overhead and streamline the process, we use a submission manager. If you haven’t used Submittable before, you’ll be prompted to sign up for an account, which is a FREE and simple process.

CLICK ON THIS LINK TO ENTER THE COMPETITION

WHERE ARE THE COMPETITION RULES?

On Submittable – in a drop-down menu (called Guidelines) next to the orange Submit button. Please make sure you read them carefully.

HOW MUCH IS IT TO ENTER?

The cost to enter each category (either one poem or multiple) is listed under Guidelines (next to the Submit button). You can enter as many poems as you like.

WHAT ARE THE PRIZES?

Prize money is in New Zealand dollars:

Open

Winner 600.00

Second place 250.00

Third place 200.00

Open Junior

Winner 150.00

Runner-up 50.00

Primary/Intermediate winner 100.00

Runner-up 50.00

Haiku