Cold fingertips nervous across you in the pale afternoon
Breaking down the castle
I lift the red roof and peak at the secrets

~ Grace, from 'There is a painting in an antique shop that reminded me of you', Secondary Winner


Red Room Poetry is delighted to announce the winning poems for Poetry Object 2020 from over 2200 entries across Australia and New Zealand. These poems evoke wonder for precious objects, memories and traces of special people and places. Congratulations to these winning and highly commended poets and all who entered the competition!

Head judge for Australia this year, Eleanor Jackson said, "It has been an absolute delight to inhabit the worlds of so many incredible young and not-so-young poets. From two- to three-dimensional objects, from the abstract to concrete, whether personified, disembodied or human, the range of subjects explored by the Poetry Object participants was a refreshing insight into the role of material culture beyond the financial value of goods to a deeper understanding of how people and objects are linked through memory, social connection and feeling."

 

Judges' Report and Winning Poems

 

Poetry Object Winners 2020 – Australia

Primary 

Winner:
The Gravestone Outback by Ruby, Year 6, Woollahra Public School (NSW)

Highly Commended: 
Things in my garden by Harriet, Year 1, Encounter Lutheran College (SA)
Levi's Bike by Levi, Year 5, Morphett Vale East School R-7 (SA)
Old Shoes by Alex, Year 5, Annandale North Public School (NSW)

 

Secondary 

Winner:
There is a painting in an antique shop that reminded me of you by Grace, Year 11, Ormiston College (QLD)

Highly Commended: 
PS4 by Byron, Year 9, Lake Illawarra High School (NSW)
An Ode to My Graduation Dress by Lani, Year 11, Seaton High School (SA)
Untie The Shoes by Scout, Year 11, Glenaeon Rudolf Steiner School (NSW)

 

Teacher 

Winner: 
Sticker Dot Doxology by Blake Nuto, St. Michael's Collegiate (TAS)

Highly Commended:
The Usha by Kumudu Stewart, Clarence High School (TAS)
1x4 brick by Ron Barton, Comet Bay College (WA)
Barbed Wire by Joy Reid, Gippsland Grammar (VIC)

 

Poetry Object Winners 2020 – New Zealand

Primary/Intermediary

Winner: 
Pounamu/Greenstone by Iritana, Year 5, Manurewa East School (Auckland)

Highly Commended:
My Doll and Me by Meijing, Year 4, Manurewa East School (Auckland)
Nana's Opal Ring by Milla, Year 6, Russley School (Christchurch)
Silver Owl by Kayla, Year 7, Russley School (Christchurch)

 

Secondary

Winner: 
Exploding Pixels by Oshadha, Year 10, Southland Boys' High School (Invercargill)

Highly Commended:
The Kraken by Olive, Year 8, Balmoral School (Auckland)
The medals of my Great Grandfather by Henry, Year 9, Nelson College (Nelson)
Colours of the Rainbow by Kate

 

 


Winners Announcement Ceremony | Thursday 20 August

The winners were announced during a live-stream YouTube event across Australia and New Zealand in partnership with Copyright Agency. Winners received prizes in the form of cash awards, book vouchers, book packs and poetry mentoring sessions with judges Eleanor Jackson and Tayi Tibble.

 

Explore Poetry Object Resources

Join our Education mailing list to stay in the loop with Red Room Poetry's Poetic Learning news and Poetry Object 2021.