Written a Poem, Mate?

Australian kids will want to start sharpening their pencils in time to submit their work to The Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards, “the oldest and largest poetry competition for school students in Australia.” According to the Web site:

The poetry awards aim to capture the imagination of students, inspiring them to express their thoughts creatively through poetry; while celebrating the legendary work of Dorothea Mackellar, author of the famous poem “My Country.” It is a unique national event, giving Australia’s young people a voice and an opportunity to strive for excellence in literature.

Barbara Guest, the awards program’s project manager, adds that the competition is “Australia’s biggest poetry writing event for school students, attracting more than 15,000 entries.”

The event is supported by the Australian government and is held in conjunction with National Literacy and Numeracy Week, September 1st to 7th.

The Web site for the Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards is very good and is stuffed with all the information you could possibly need to move forward with an entry, including resource notes for teachers and poetry writing tips for students.