From the gentle hush of the forest to howling winds across hilltops, from the wild chaos of everyday family life to the boisterous joy of finding oneself – we’re excited to share the shortlisted and winning entries of our Poetry Competition 2026.

This year’s theme – Wilderness – sparked a wonderful selection of entries, covering nature and whenua (land), travel, relationships, and seasons of life, to name a few of the broader themes.

With 111 entries received across the four age categories of the competition, it was (as usual) a tough ask for the judges to decide on the final shortlists. Hours of reading, reciting, and reflecting are part of the process, which means everyone who enters the competition adds their unique bit to the long tradition of this genre and its enjoyment.

Congratulations to everyone who took part: you followed us into the wilderness of words, forged your own paths, and showed once again that poetry is for everyone.

Thank you for sharing your creativity and your playfulness, your humour and your clever writing – we can’t wait to read again from you all next year.

Winners and shortlists

Make some noise for this year’s shortlisted and winning poets!

See all finalists below and enjoy homegrown writing at its best.

Adults

Winners

First place: Ruru by Samantha Keenan-Woodward
Second place: Best Gifts by Rosa Swann
Third place: The Cave of Wonders by Adam Williamson

Shortlist

High Country by Johannes Knol
Matagorda Island Lighthouse by Jen Erceg
Kakanui by Mike Mckeon
Wilderness of Mine by Terry Burn
My Time in the Wilderness by Hannah Tysoe
It’s a Beautiful World by Rose Biggs
The Great Unheard by Oliver Dean

The anthology booklet will be available for downloading on Monday 31 August.

Teens (ages 12-17)

Winners

First place: Where the Maps End by Pearl Winkworth
Second place: And There It Was by Harshika Sharma
Third place: The Wind by Eloise Vaatstra

Shortlist

Time in the Wilderness by Russell Leenders
Wilderness by Aisha Hamideh
Our Wilderness by Chanug Daldeniya
Deep in the Bush by Binon Bobin
Lost by Dave Mathew
Define Wild and Cruel by Luisa Joseph
Wilderness of Taupo by Mataya Donaldson

The anthology booklet will be available for downloading from Monday 31 August.

Children (ages 5-7)

Winners

First place: A Happy Day by Jasmine Leenders
Second place: Wilderness: Kei Roto i te Ngahere by Jon-Kyrie Hauraki-Hune
Third place: Neil Armstrong Sees the Moon by Joseph Hansen

Shortlist

Wilderness: Kei Roto i te Ngahere by Xeamerrah-Nora Reti-Martin
Dying in the Wilderness by Wesley Hauwaho
Wilderness: Kei Roto i te Ngahere by Wolfe Stevens
Dying on the Cross by Norah Hauwaho
Wilderness: Kei Roto i te Ngahere by Apārangi Hemana-Reihana
Wilderness: Kei Roto i te Ngahere by Lincoln Barraud
Wilderness: Kei Roto i te Ngahere by Ngārāitekahurangi Kawe-Roes-Crown

Read the entries.

Children (ages 8-11)

Winners

First place: In the Forest by Robert Bennett
Second place: The Hidden Wilderness by Spencer Tysoe
Third place: A Lovely Day with Birds by Mia Skaria

Shortlist

Whispering Willows by Emily Ginnane
The Mountain, the River and Me by Cara Hagen
The Colourful Forest by Nayeli Daldeniya
If Trees Could Talk by Maeve Weir
Nature is All Around Me by Stella Meadows-Miller
Wild Feather by Hazel MacKinnon
The Dance of Life by Lucy Tregaskis

Read the entries

Keen for more poetry?

If you’ve caught the poetry bug, come along to our monthly Poetry Discussion Group or continue your writing journey at Upper Hutt Writes.

Read, write, enjoy. Poetry is for everyone.

Source: Upper Hutt Libraries

29/08/26