Thrive
Poetry
Competition
2026
Your voice. Your story. Your community.
Thrive Multicultural Women’s Festival is inviting poets and emerging voices to take part in the Thrive Poetry Competition 2026.
This year's theme is:
WOMEN & COMMUNITY
Thrive Multicultural Women’s Festival is inviting poets and emerging voices to take part in the Thrive Poetry Competition 2026 — original poetry that explores, celebrates or reflects on women and community: culture, identity, belonging, resilience, connection and lived experience.
Prizes
Who can enter?
- Open to people aged 18+
- One poem per entrant
- Poems must be the entrant’s original work
- Poems should be suitable for a 1–3 minute live performance
- Entries must respond to the theme Women & Community
Competition opens:
Tuesday, 15 September 2026 at 12pm
Entries close:
Thursday, 1 October 2026 at 5pm
Five finalists notified:
Thursday, 8 October 2026
Finalists announced:
Thursday, 15 October 2026
Live Final:
Saturday, 31 October 2026 at Thrive Multicultural Women’s Festival, Queen Victoria Market
Five finalists will be selected and invited to perform their poems live at Thrive on 31 October, where the winners will be determined.
