The Blake Prize is an open poetry prize that challenges poets, both national and international, in conversations concerning faith, spirituality, religion and/or belief.
The Blake Poetry Prize | $5,000 | Non-Acquisitive
The Blake Poetry Prize is an aesthetic means of exploring the wider experience of spirituality with the visionary imagining of contemporary poets. The Blake Prize takes its name from William Blake, a poet and artist of undoubted genius, who integrated religious and artistic content in his work. The Blake Poetry Prize challenges contemporary poets of disparate styles to explore the spiritual and religious in a new work of 100 lines or less.
The Blake Poetry Prize is strictly non-sectarian. The entries are not restricted to works related to any faith or any artistic style, but all poems entered must have a recognisable religious or spiritual integrity and demonstrate high degrees of artistic and conceptual proficiency.
All shortlisted poems will be displayed at the Liverpool Powerhouse as part of the Blake Exhibition April – June 2026.
The winner will be announced at a ceremony on 2nd May 2026, and awarded the prize of $5,000
Key Dates
Entries Open: 10am, Friday 18th September, 2025.
Entries Close: 9am, Monday 15th December, 2025.
Shortlist announcement: 20th March, 2026 via WestWords newsletter, socials and online.
Exhibition Dates: Saturday 25 April – Sunday 14 June 2026.
Launch and Winners announcement: Saturday 2nd May, 2026 at Liverpool Powerhouse, 1 Casula Powerhouse, Liverpool, NSW.
For more information, and to enter, please visit: https://www.westwords.com.au/the-69th-blake-poetry-prize/
- All entries must demonstrate recognisable engagement with the themes of:
- Spirituality;
- Religion; and/or
- Belief.
- All entries must have been created no earlier than two years before 18th September 2025.
- Entry Forms must be completed and submitted by 9:00am, Monday 15th December, 2025.
- Entrants may enter a maximum of five poems.
- Eligible entries must:
- not be longlisted for any other literary prize;
- be between one and a hundred lines in length (not including the title but including footnotes and subheadings);
- By submitting an entry into the Prize, the entrant grants permission for WestWords and/or Liverpool Powerhouse and/or Liverpool City Council to print and display the entries all shortlisted entries, in full or in part, online or as part of the Blake Prize Exhibition, April-June, 2026.
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