The Monica Taylor Poetry Prize 2024 final results:

Winner: Denise O’Hagan—The old man and the tree

Runner-up: Frankie McMillan—The Folly of Spit: a pseudo sestina

Highly Commended:

• Bronte Heron—First Shave
• Nicola Andrews—Heat Tolerance
• Sandra Lock—Unfinished Life
• Annabel Wilson—On a silver thread

Commended:

• Jackson McCarthy—Aubade
• Ariana Tikao—Te Tarere o Hikaiti
• Hebe Kearney—re-grieving
• Lee Fraser—Never Laid a Hand on Me

The Monica Taylor Poetry Prize 2024 shortlist:

• Nicola Andrews—Heat Tolerance
• Lee Fraser—Never Laid a Hand on Me
• Bronte Heron—First Shave
• Hebe Kearney—re-grieving
• Sandra Lock—Unfinished Life
• Jackson McCarthy—Aubade
• Frankie McMillan—The Folly of Spit: a pseudo sestina
• Denise O’Hagan—The old man and the tree
• Ariana Tikao—Te Tarere o Hikaiti
• Annabel Wilson—On a silver thread

The Monica Taylor Poetry Prize 2024 longlist:

• Nicola Andrews—Heat Tolerance
• Victor Billot—Borderlands
• Stuart Broughton—Te Tirit o Waitangi Paint by Numbers
• Tallulah Cardno—Paisley
• Nicola Easthope—This poem was not written by AI
• Rangi Faith—A Discovery from Cape Adare
• Lee Fraser—Never Laid a Hand on Me
• Bronte Heron—First Shave
• Hebe Kearney—re-grieving
• Sandra Lock—Unfinished Life
• Jackson McCarthy—Aubade
• Carolyn McCurdie—Reverberating
• Frankie McMillan—The Folly of Spit: a pseudo sestina
• Rachel Meadows—Viewport (a clear delineation)
• Idoya Munn—Driving to Berwick Forrest
• Mikaela Nyman—I see you see me
• Denise O’Hagan—The old man and the tree
• Grace Shelley—teaching my child to stare wistfully at the ocean in inclement weather
• Sina Steele—Glottal stops and afakasi lips
• Ariana Tikao—Te Tarere o Hikaiti
• Annabel Wilson—On a silver thread

Ngā mihi to these poets and everyone who entered. The winning poem and judge’s report are published in takahē 112.

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Mānawatia a Matariki! The nine stories selected for the Matariki Short Short Story Celebration 2024 are:

• Gnaw: Catherine Bisley
• Sustenance: Sara Bucher
• The poets: Joan Fleming
• A place to stand: Kim Fulton
• One Summer: Zac Hing
• Hand Seller: Tara Leckie
• Backstroke in a Mud Puddle: Aine Whelan-Kopa
• A long time to get home: Annabel Wilson
• The curve of the hill home: Iona Winter

Ngā mihi to these writers and everyone who entered. The nine selected stories were published in the August issue, takahē 111.