Competition Calendar
Poetry competitions are an integral part of National Poetry Day, encouraging people of all ages and experience levels to put pen to paper, try something new, and share their voices.
Throughout the coming weeks, poetry competitions from around Aotearoa will be added here as they open for entries.
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CORNWALL PARK KIDS POETRY COMPETITION
- Entry is open to all tamariki aged 5-12
- Entries open 4 July to 9 August 2026
- All entries must be submitted via an online survey form
- Visit https://cornwallpark.co.nz/poetry to enter
Calling all tamariki aged 5–12 to celebrate 125 years since Cornwall Park was gifted to the people of Aotearoa by Sir John Logan Campbell. Write us a poem inspired by Cornwall Park.
Sir John saw tamariki enjoying the park after it opened in 1903. He loved to write and often included snippets of his favourite poems in letters to friends and whānau. He shared this joy in a letter:
“I had the pleasure to see with my own eyes to what great use Cornwall Park could be put to the people of Auckland, or at least its rising generation. For there I looked upon thousands of children in the full enjoyment of the sunshine in bright green fields disporting themselves to their heart’s content.”
Now it’s your turn.
Think about your own experiences in the park and create a poem inspired by what Cornwall Park means to you.
Your poem must be your own work and no longer than 25 lines (it can be shorter).
The competition will be judged by Elena de Roo, an award-winning children’s poet from Tāmaki Makaurau. She is the author of Ring Ting Tūī! and Wizardry to Wētā Verse, and a member of The Poets XYZ (alongside Melinda Szymanik and Kathryn Dove), whose mission is to encourage children’s poetry writing in Aotearoa.