Read the winning poems here
The winners of the 2023 competitions were announced on Friday 25th August - Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day.
This year's theme of "Poetry on the Edge" offered poets a chance to balance themselves and their poetry on the edge - a literal or metaphorical world; something tangible, or something out of reach.
With thanks to judges Susan Wardell and Robert Sullivan, and the Otago/Southland Branch of the New Zealand Society of Authors for all of their hard work and dedication throughout the competition.
Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day: Poetry on the Edge
Youth (5-12):
1st Place: Rita Mace David - 'Wild and Free'
2nd Place: Ayesha Rietveld - 'The Sky Above'
Teen (13-18):
1st Place: Emily Roy - 'Dangling Your Feet Over Time's Precipice (It'll Pass)'
2nd Place: Tessa Smith - 'glitter stars'
Highly Commended: Oshadha Perera - 'Pulse'
Adult (19+):
1st Place: Lesley Vlietstra - 'When I Was Young'
2nd Place: Sophia Wilson - 'To Whom it May Concern'
3rd Place: Samantha Montgomerie - 'Etchings'
Highly Commended: Victor Billot - 'The Long Weekend'
Congratulations to all winners, and thank you to all who entered the competition.