Competition News

Congratulations to the poets shortlisted for the takahē Monica Taylor Poetry Prize 2025:

  • 580nm – Laurice Gilbert
  • Acorn – Andrea Ewing
  • Dawn Chorus – Rebecca Hawkes
  • Ghazal for the Earth – Marjory Woodfield
  • MUNDANE DETAILS – Jasmine Taylor
  • Paraselene – Mikaela Nyman
  • Supermarket run; matuku moana, the traffic and me – Alex Stone
  • The Butcher of Whack-a-White – Jilly O’Brien
  • THE OTHER SIDE – Jessica Le Bas
  • [Title of this poem] [Waitangi] – Hana Buchanan
  • Two Harbours, one heart (in the style of Nazim Hikmet) – Ines Almeida

The longlist for the takahē Monica Taylor Poetry Prize 2025 was:

  • 580nm – Laurice Gilbert
  • Acorn – Andrea Ewing
  • Aku waewae e rua – Hana Buchanan
  • A Rahui over Aotearoa/New Zealand – Rangi Faith
  • Dawn Chorus – Rebecca Hawkes
  • Ghazal for the Earth – Marjory Woodfield
  • He Koha, He Koha, He Koha – Rangi Faith
  • MUNDANE DETAILS – Jasmine Taylor
  • Paraselene – Mikaela Nyman
  • Saturday night – Kathryn Martin
  • Supermarket run; matuku moana, the traffic and me – Alex Stone
  • The Butcher of Whack-a-White – Jilly O’Brien
  • THE OTHER SIDE – Jessica Le Bas
  • Three Deer – Jillian Sullivan
  • [Title of this poem] [Waitangi] – Hana Buchanan
  • Two Harbours, one heart (in the style of Nazim Hikmet) – Ines Almeida

Ngā mihi to judge Janet Newman who read all 362 anonymised entries.

The shortlist will be announced in December, with the winning poem published in the December issue (#115) of takahē.

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See Past Competition Results to read winning poems, judges’ reports, and shortlists. Learn more about the history of the prize.