Competition News

The takahē Monica Taylor Poetry Prize is now closed. This year’s judge is Gregory Kan.

The longlisted poems are (in alphabetical order):

• Arguing the toss about Manaakitanga by Frankie McMillan
• Dusky Maidens by Jane Lowe
• Fresh Fish by Jilly O’Brien
• I travel without my dead by Olivia Macassey
• like a manaia, bursting by Ox Matiu
• // MOTHER WOUND // by Devon Webb
• O by Amber French
• The World, A Brief Dream Under A Summer Moon by Wes Lee
• Voice: A Ghazal by Sarah Scott
• when by Modi Deng

The first prize is $300 (NZD) and publication in the December 2026 issue of takahē. The runner-up prize is $150.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky or X for competition announcements.