The Chrysalis BREW Project

Books, Reviews, and Everything Written (BREW) for you

The BREW Poetry Award

The BREW Poetry Award honours lyrical and rhythmic compositions that touch the soul. The award recognises poetry that fosters a close relationship between the poet and the reader by condensing feelings, experiences, and observations into a select few words. The honour acknowledges poetry’s ability to arouse feelings, spark ideas, and distill the essence of the human spirit.

The BREW Poetry Award comprises four primary categories: the Open Category, accessible to all poets, and three additional categories tailored for students at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. Within each category, two distinct titles are up for grabs: the Judges’ Pick and the Community’s Pick. Each category serves to recognize and encourage poets at different stages of their literary journey, fostering inclusivity and diversity within the poetry community. The Judges’ Pick honors poetic excellence as determined by a panel of distinguished experts, while the Community’s Pick reflects the collective voice of poetry enthusiasts, highlighting works that resonate widely among readers. These titles not only celebrate outstanding poetic talent but also provide aspiring poets with valuable recognition and encouragement to continue honing their craft.

About Our Latest Winners

Rediscovering Passion Through Poetry: An Interview with Julie Avis on Creative Expression and Personal Growth
Julie Avis’ poem, The Black Swan, was the winner of the BREW Poetry Award 2024 Community’s Pick and Judges’ Pick title. Read her interview on The World’s Best Magazine through the above link.
New Anthology “Lines Worth Remembering” Highlights Standout Poems from 2024 BREW Poetry Award

Categories

The following are the four categories for entries:

  • Open Category – This is open to all poets. All submissions are automatically nominated for this category.
  • Primary School Category – This is for primary or grade school students.
  • Secondary School Category – This is for secondary or high school students.
  • Tertiary Category – This is for vocational, university, or college students.

The prize

All accepted entries

All valid poetry entries will remain published in our site for at least one (1) year unless there’s an administrative reason or any other specific purpose for them to be unpublished.

Poets have the option to unpublish their entry from our site but only after the annual results have been announced. Entries that are unpublished before the results are announced will be taken off from the shortlist or winners’ list, whichever is applicable.

Educational institutions with winning student entries for the year will receive a digital Certificate of Recognition.

Educational institutions with student entries for the year but do not have a winning entry will receive a digital Certificate of Appreciation.

All Judges’ Pick shortlisted entries

Shortlisted entries for the Judges’ Pick title, if any, are entitled to the following:

  • Inclusion in the BREW Poetry Award Winners’ announcement page
  • Possible inclusion in a print and digital magazine issue, a Poetry Anthology, or a compilation of poems, reviews, short stories, and other works to be published by our partner publications
  • Possible inclusion in the list of nominees that we will submit for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net contests.
  • Poets aged 18 or older are automatically included as a member of the BREW Laureate Council, the distinguished judges of the BREW International Book, Blog, and Poetry Awards.
  • Note: Judges’ Pick title winners may or may not be announced for a given year.

Category winners

Judges’ Pick and Community’s Pick winners for each category will win the following:

  • All of the above
  • Copyright to use the specific award title for the year on your website, social media channels, or promotional materials
  • A digital “BREW Poetry Award Honouree” badge for the poets

Poet of the Year

The Judges’ Poet of the Year winner, if any, will receive the following:

  • All of the above
  • For 2026: cash prize of 100 Australian dollars (roughly equivalent to 65 US dollars) through PayPal or via an Amazon.com or Amazon.com.au digital gift card (Note: The winner can choose to receive a BREW Award medal but will no longer receive this cash prize.)
  • A printable digital Certificate of Recognition
  • If the winner is a student, the educational institution the winner represents will also receive a digital Certificate of Recognition
  • Inclusion in a media coverage spanning 100 or more global news and other websites, with a combined potential reach of thousands or even millions of audiences across the globe
  • Note: A winner for this title may or may not be announced for a given year.

How it works

It’s free, simple, and easy to join.

The minimum parameters

We do not charge any entry fee for the BREW Poetry Award.

The contest is open to all poets across the globe. BREW staff and contributors, their relatives up to the third-degree, and BREW’s partners may submit their poems for publication in our site but will not be entitled to any award to preserve its impartiality.

Here are the minimum requirements:

  • A poem must be written in English and with 10 to 30 lines. It could be of any form – traditional or free verse.
  • Your poem could be about any suitable topic or content. Refer to our site’s Terms for more details.
  • A poem must be the poetry author’s original work and not borrowed, copied, or derived from someone else’s work.
  • Entries should have not been published in any form anywhere else before.
  • Submissions should have not won an award before. Poems submitted for another award may be accepted as long as it has not been published in any form.

How to Submit an Entry

For poetry writers below 18 years old, parents or educators are required to make a submission on their behalf.

Required Step 1 of 3: Subscribe to our free newsletter

This way, you’ll be one of the first ones to know what’s new from us including if and when your poem wins an award.

Required Step 2 of 3: Know all the rules

Read our Privacy Policy, Disclaimer, Terms of Service, Voluntary Contribution Policy, and all the policies, terms, and conditions on this page as well as on all the links that this page refers to.

Required Step 3 of 3: Complete our submission form to submit your poem.

Click here to make a submission via Duosuma (all categories accepted).

Important dates

The BREW Poetry Award initially took place as a month-long event coinciding with Red Room Poetry’s Australia’s Poetry Month in August. However, starting from 2024, the contest now accepts submissions all year round to four (4) categories, a change that allows poets all over the world to submit their entries at any time, eliminating the need to wait for August and gaining almost-instant publication for their panel-accepted poetry on The Chrysalis BREW Project platform.

Here are the dates to remember:

  • 31 August – cut-off date for poetry submissions.
  • 23:59 pm Adelaide time of 31 August of the year – cutoff for the Community’s Pick votes
  • 1st or 2nd week of October – expected winners’ announcement date

All entries must be received on or before 31 August to qualify for the year’s awards.

Entries received after the deadline or from 1 September onwards will be processed for the next year’s awards.

We reserve the right not to announce any winners for the Judges’ Pick title if no sufficient entries have been received or met the minimum requirements for the awards.

Only winning entries will receive further notification.

No post-judging feedback will be provided to any entry.

Judging criteria for Judges’ Pick winner

Entries received from 1 September of the previous year to 31 August of the current year may be considered for the Judges’ Pick title.

Only “entirely human-authored” submissions or exempted entries per Section 8 of our AU Usage Policy for Awards are accepted for a Judges’ Pick title.

To select the Judges’ Pick winner for each category, here are what the BREW Poetry Award judges will have in mind:

  1. Creativity and Originality: Assessment of the uniqueness and inventiveness of the poem’s theme, imagery, language, and overall approach.
  2. Emotional Impact: Evaluation of the poem’s ability to evoke genuine emotions in the reader, whether it be joy, sorrow, love, or any other sentiment.
  3. Technical Proficiency: Consideration of the poet’s command of language, including aspects such as word choice and, if applicable, rhyme, meter, rhythm, and structure.
  4. Depth and Complexity: Examination of the depth of meaning and layers of interpretation present within the poem, as well as its ability to explore complex ideas or experiences.
  5. Unity and Coherence: Look for coherence and unity of theme, imagery, and message throughout the poem, ensuring that each element contributes to the overall impact.
  6. Language and Imagery: Assessment of the effectiveness of the poem’s language and imagery in creating vivid and memorable mental images or sensory experiences for the reader.
  7. Resonance and Relevance: Consideration of the poem’s relevance to contemporary issues, universal themes, or the human experience, as well as its ability to resonate with a diverse audience.
  8. Voice and Style: Evaluation of the poet’s distinctive voice and style, including their ability to express themselves authentically and convey their message with clarity and conviction.
  9. Innovation and Experimentation: Acknowledgement of innovative or experimental approaches to poetry, such as unconventional forms, techniques, or themes, that push the boundaries of traditional poetic norms.
  10. Impact and Memorability: Reflection on the lasting impression the poem leaves on the reader, including its ability to linger in the mind and provoke reflection or discussion even after reading.

Poems must attain at least a 90% Judges’ Score to be shortlisted for a Judges’ Pick title. If no submitted poem meets this requirement, the title will not be awarded for the year.

Judge’s decisions are final. No feedback will be given to any non-winning entry.

Counting of votes for Community’s Pick winner

Poems selected for publication on our website will be shortlisted for the Community’s Pick title.

All accumulated views and comments will be considered for the calculation of scores.

  • Voting starts when the poem is published on our site.
  • Scores will be based on the following:
    • Score 1 = Total Number of Views on the Poem’s Post x 1
    • Score 2 = Total Number of Comments on the Poem’s Post x 2
    • Score 1 + Score 2 = Community’s Score = This will be the Poem’s Total Score for the Community’s Pick title as of voting cut-off date.
  • The published poem with the highest score as of cut-off date that has not been awarded the BREW Poetry Award Community’s Pick title yet will get the award title for its category.

Vote for a poem

It’s your chance to give your favorite poem the love it deserves and make it win the Community’s Pick title for its category. Here’s how to make your voice heard:

  • Step 1: Go to the poem’s post, if you already have the direct link. If not, you can search for the poem on the following link: BREW Poetry Award Entries. Each poem post view/visit equals to 1 point.
  • Step 2: Comment on the post for additional points and visibility. Each poem post comment equals to 2 points.
  • Step 3: Share the post so others can do the above, too.
  • Step 4: Vote for your other favorites, if any.

Selecting the Poem of the Year awardees

All Judges’ Pick and Community’s Pick category winners for the year are automatically shortlisted for the Poem of the Year award.

The Judges’ Pick category winner with the highest Judges’ Score, if any, will win the Judges’ Poem of the Year title. The writer of the winning poem will win the Judges’ Poet of the Year title.

The Community’s Pick category winner with the highest Community’s Score will win the Community’s Poem of the Year title. The writer of the winning poem will win the Community’s Poet of the Year title.

The Winners

To know the winners of the BREW Poetry Award, click here.

More info

For other important information, visit the links below:

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Congratulations to our latest BREW award winners!

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Nominate for the BREW International Book, Blog, and Poetry Awards