Calling poets to share their voice and creativity in the Tom Collins Poetry Prize 2026, an annual competition celebrating original poetry and the contribution of Australian writers. Established by the Fellowship of Australian Writers WA, the prize honours Joseph Furphy – who wrote under the pen name Tom Collins – and provides poets with an opportunity to have their work recognised through a respected literary competition.
From the Fellowship of Writers WA site:
The Tom Collins Poetry Prize was inaugurated by the Fellowship of Australian Writers, WA in 1975 to commemorate the contribution to Australian literature of Joseph Furphy (1843 – 1912), who wrote Such is Life under the nom de plume (pen name), ‘Tom Collins’.
- Theme: Open
- Prizes: First $1000, Second $300, Third $100
- Opening Date: July 5th, 2026
- Closing Date: September 30th, 2026
- Maximum 60 lines per poem
- Maximum of 3 poems
- Entry Fee: $22 per poem (Members) $27 per poem (non-members)
All work must be previously unpublished. Work broadcast, or published online in any way shall be considered, for the purpose of the Tom Collins Poetry Prize Competition, to have been previously published, and cannot be submitted.
Competitors retain copyright in their entries, however, agree that The Fellowship of Australian Writers WA (FAWWA) is granted the non-exclusive and non-commercial right to publish the winning, second and third place entries on its website for a term of 1 year (commencing from the winners’ announcement date) for the purpose of promoting the Tom Collins Poetry Prize.
FAWWA will always credit the author of the work when reproducing the work and will not make any changes to the work without first seeking the prior written consent of the author.
Poems submitted to the competition will be shredded after the competition.
Your poem must not be created by AI.
This competition is judged blind. Each poem must have a separate entry form attached and the writer’s name should not appear anywhere on the poem itself.
The judge’s decision is final. Competitors must not communicate with the judge before or during the competition.
The judge’s report, and the results of the competition will be published on the FAWWA website.
If you have one, two or three poems to share, then visit the FAWWA website to enter.
