By Parker McKenzie
While the 2021 Woorilla Poetry Prize saw entries from around Australia and overseas, a Melbourne-based poet took out the top prize in the open section.
The event was held on Sunday 28 November in Emerald and simultaneously streamed online.
Woorilla Poetry Prize founder Maria Millers said poetry is the perfect form to handle universal human dilemmas.
“It also reflects and addresses modern concern, fears, aspirations and it has the power to move hearts and minds,” she said.
“As we can see it transcends time, and some of the poems you hear today will enjoy the same longevity.”
Melbourne poet Simone King won the $1500 Judith Rodriguez open prize with her poem Joining Planet City.
Judge Nathan Curnow said it was an honour to judge the Judith Rodriquez open section.
“The Melbourne poet Jennifer Harrison said poetry gives us birdsong alongside activism,” he said.
“It gives us the outside world alongside the internal world of emotions. This reminds me of Judith and what she lived for, and how she lived it.”
Judith Rodriguez was a celebrated and award-winning Australian poet who passed away in November 2018.
Alisha Brown finished runner up in the open section with her poem An Ontology of Morning, while David Terelinck and Peter Kay were commended for their entries.
Mr Curnow said the open section had an extraordinary number of entries in 2021.
“This might reflect people turning to poetry in extraordinary times,” he said.
“It’s been an amazing year of entries and I’m encouraged to see that the competition is growing both locally and internationally.”
Sophie Szew from the United States won the youth main section with her poem titled Prompts For My Next Poem, while another United States resident Anna Meister finished runner up.
The Woorilla Poetry Prize was founded in 1987 by Mrs Miller and Louise Rockne to celebrate the art of poetry and provide exposure to emerging poets.
All shortlisted poems at the 2021 Woorilla Poetry Prize will be published in a compendium available for purchase.
A full replay of the event is available on the Woorilla Poetry Prize Facebook page at www.facebook.com/woorillapoetryprize.
