Cloncurry Prize Poetry Competition

Congratulations! These poems have made the Top 50 in the 2024 Cloncurry Prize Poetry Competition. The next installment will be the annoucement of the winners, at an awards ceremony in Cloncurry on Friday, 21 June 2024. For more information about the awards evening, please click here. 

Top 50 - 2024 Cloncurry Prize Poetry Competition

*Please note, there is not particular order to the poems listed.

• Towering Hill
• Viri sanguinun terrae+
• Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
• On the Eve of the Night
• The Outback Doctor
• Imprints of Our Ancestors
• A Whip Across His Shoulder
• On the Shoulders of Giants
• Some Giants Wore Petticoats
• By Saddle or Sea
• On the Shoulders of Giants
• Grazing Giants of Yesteryear
• Voices in Time
• Titans of Terra Australia
• Echoes Down the Line
• Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
• Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
• Love Like a Mountain
• A Giants Dream
• Hi Granny
• Kurrkalnga Puli
• The Essence of the Outback - Giants Hearts and Giant Hopes
• Standing on the Shoulders of Old Timers
• The Pact
• The Giants of Country School Teaching
• Out Giant's Legacy
• The Eyes of an Ant
• On the Shoulders of Giants
• Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
• Ode to the ANZACS
• Voice
• Giants
• Through the Lens of Lawson
• Wild Words
• The Cyle of the Southern Land
• The Women Left Behind
• On Those Giants Shoulders
• These Other Giants
• Generations
• The True Heroes
• Eight Seconds
• We of the Living Well
• UNSUNG
• Land of My Birth
• Dreamers and Drovers
• The Burning Centre
• Homework
• Laprinta (Red Dirt Dreaming)
• Those Who Came Before Us
• The Auctioneer

Cloncurry Prize

Junior Competition

Entries must be submitted observing the following formatting and stylistic elements:

• Each entry must be a Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx) or PDF (.pdf);
• The document file name should be the title of the poem only
• Entries must be a single poem of no more than two pages written in English. Pages must be numbered.
• Entries must be typed in Calibri or Times New Roman font, no smaller than size 11
• All stanza breaks must be clearly spaced
• The poet’s name should not appear anywhere in the document body unless it is relevant to the work (entries are judged anonymously)

The theme of the Cloncurry Prize Poetry Competition in 2024 is 'Standing on the Shoulders of Giants', through the lens of Outback Australia.

Longlisting Criteria (Top 50)

• Theme Relevance – Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, through the lens of Outback Australia = 60%
• Form – word choice, commas, stanzas = 20%
• Language – choice of words, and order is precise = 20%

Shortlisting criteria (Top 10)

• Theme Relevance – Shoulders of Giants, through the lens of Outback Australia = 60%
• Form – word choice, commas, stanzas = 15%
• Language – choice of words, and order is precise = 15%
• Legacy – timelessness of Poem = 10%

The competition Terms & Conditions contain valuable information including key dates, eligibility and formatting. A copy of the Terms & Conditions can be found HERE.

I am delighted that Cloncurry Shire Council has initiated the ‘Cloncurry Prize ~ Spirit of Outback’ Poetry Competition.

Dame Mary Gilmore was my great-great aunt. She was a beloved family member, and a source of pride - for her poetry and her place as a voice of our people. 

When I see her wise face looking out from our $10 notes, I imagine her surveying modern Australia with wonder, and I suspect with a few helpful suggestions. 

Much of what she spoke for has come to pass, so much of what she valued remains, and so much of our nation's promise has been fulfilled. I can't think of a better place than Cloncurry, where Aunt Mary rests with her husband William, to uncover the next bard of Australia, whoever she or he may be. 

Australia is an ancient land of stories that reach back for millennia. The rich oral and visual imaginings of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, the poems of colonial Australia, and the verse that grew from our developing nation reflect the epic narrative of our history. In times of trouble and challenge, these are the stories we turn to for comfort and hope. 

The stories of Australia come from the city and the bush. They are made in the past and the present. They are our beacon for the future. They are the words of our national spirit, which transcends politics, religion, ethnicity or capital. Aunt Mary wrote once 'I see the world as one'. It's my belief that true poetry comes from that vision and brings people together. 

Our poets tell our stories and show us who we are. Sometimes, as the days race by, we forget to stop and listen to those voices. I'm grateful to the people of Cloncurry who have endured so much in recent years, for encouraging us to change that - to hear our stories anew and celebrate the spirit they represent. 

The Hon Scott Morrison MP
Prime Minister of Australia

September 2020

For media enquires, please contact Council's Media and Public Relations Officer on 07 4742 4100 or cloncurryprize@cloncurry.qld.gov.au

For general enquires, please contact Council's Events and Activities Coordinator, Deborah Fenton, on 07 4742 4100 or cloncurryprize@cloncurry.qld.gov.au

2023 Cloncurry Prize Poetry Competition Winners

Winner
Remembering Mary ~ Penny Lane

Runner Up
Heroes of Yesterday ~ Tom McIlveen

Third Place
Unsung Heroes ~ David Campbell

Highly Commended
The Women of the Outback ~ Bronwyn Blake

Commended
Outback Legend of the Sky ~ Barry Desailly

2023 Cloncurry Prize Poetry Junior Competition Winners

First Place
Where Outback Heroes Roam ~ Mateo Leclerc

Second Place
Outback Heroes Live Forever ~ Eloise Brown

Third Place
In the Heart of the Outback ~ Jayden Sherwood

Winner
Where Heroes Abide ~ Brenda-Joy Pritchard

Runner Up
The Spirit of the Outback ~ David Judge

*PDF poems linked

Winner
The Heart and Soul of Australia ~ David Campbell

Runner Up
Broken Down ~ Jennifer Harrison

Meritorious Mention
a portrait in the theatre of desire ~ Brian Obiri-Asare

*PDF poems linked