International Poetry Competition Judges Announced

International Poetry Competition Judges Announced

Wellington, New Zealand -- The New Zealand Poetry Society (NZPS) has launched its 2003 International Poetry Competition and is welcoming entries of verse, haiku, and senryu from New Zealand and overseas.

This year a new category, Open Junior, has been established for poets 18 years and younger to enter poems in any non-haiku/senryu format. This category joins the established Open and the Haiku and Junior Haiku sections, both of which are funded in part by the Asia 2000 Foundation. Schools will be especially interested in this new category, which provides an excellent opportunity for young writers to be recognised.

Excellent judging is crucial to this premier poetry competition and the NZPS is delighted to announce the appointment of three outstanding judges for each section of the Competition. The judges are noted poets and authors Keri Hulme (Open), James Brown (Junior Open), and John O`Connor (Haiku and Junior Haiku).

NZPS President Margaret Vos emphasises the role of judges because "judging is in part a subjective process, so it is especially important to have well-qualified judges who will ensure that quality is recognised. Because we always use a blind judging process, we can be sure that our judges focus on the content of the entries and rate them by merit alone”.

The Competition, which has been running for thirty years, continues to provide a prestigious forum for new and established poets to present their work for critical acclaim in addition to prizes. The closing date for the 2003 Competition is 30 June.

Entry forms are available via e-mail request to nzps2003@hotmail.com, by sending a SASE to Competition Secretary, PO Box 1633, Paraparaumu Beach, NZ, or from the NZPS’ website at http://communities.msn.com/NewZealandPoetrySociety.

© Scoop Media