Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature Robert Burns Poetry Competition 2021
Robert Burns Poetry Competition 2021
The Robert Burns connection
Dunedin, in the South Island of New Zealand, has a familial link to Robert Burns in the form of his nephew, Dr Thomas Burns – who was one of the City's founding fathers during Scottish settlement. A statue of Robert Burns was unveiled in 1887, and stands in the Octagon at the heart of the City Centre. Today it remains a popular focal point and meeting place for both residents and visitors.
Robert Burns, the great Scottish Bard, was born on 25 January 1759, and his legend lives on through his poetry and songs, such as Tam O' Shanter. Regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic Movement, his works reflect his strength of opinion, his love of women and his fondness (sometimes too much) of drinking. For our annual Robert Burns Poetry Competition, we invite you to write a poem in the spirit of Robert Burns. The competition runs from September to November each year.
The University of Otago holds the Robert Burns Fellowship, a prestigious residency for contemporary New Zealand writers, which enables them to further explore and develop their craft.
The Dunedin Burns Club was formed in 1891. Alongside a number of Scottish clubs and societies in the City, the Dunedin Burns Club keeps the memory of our Scottish heritage alive and well.
The Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature Robert Burns Poetry Competition is a collaboration between the City of LIterature, Dunedin Public Libraries and The Dunedin Burns Club, with the support of the Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies and the Otago Daily Times.. Entries are judged by associates of the Robert Burns Fellowship and the winners are announced and presented with prizes on Robert Burns' birthday, 25 January.
There is a separate competition for young poets - Rap Like Robbie Poetry Competition - which runs concurrently with the Robert Burns Poetry competition for adults.
Our 2021 competition is now closed. Winners will be announced on 25th January 2022
How has Scottish culture evolved at home and abroad? Do the Scots become more Scottish the further they travel from the homeland? What happens when cultures blend or collide, with travel and migration?
Write a poem in English or Scots in response to any of these questions, in 500 words or less. Enter online (new window) or print off an entry form (new window) and post to:
2021 Robert Burns Poetry Competition
C/- Kay Mercer
Dunedin Public Libraries
The competition closed on 19th November.
The Robert Burns poetry competition cash prizes are generously sponsored by the Otago Scottish Heritage Council, Lee and Royden Somerville (Published Adult); the Dunedin Public Libraries Association (Unpublished Adult), with additional prizes sponsored by the Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies at the University of Otago.
The Dunedin-Edinburgh Sister-City Society sponsors the cash prize for the separate Rap Like Robbie competition for teens, with additional prizes sponsored by the Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature.
Prizewinners will be notified by the middle of December, and the winners are invited to read their poems at a special prize-giving ceremony on Robert Burns Birthday, 25th January. Winners are presented with their medals, cash prizes (for first place), and certificates. First place winners are again invited to read their poems at the Dunedin Burns Club's annual Robert Burns Supper celebration later that evening. If unable to attend, arrangements can be made for prizes to be collected by, or delivered to, the recipients.
The prizes include:
Published Poet
1st Prize: William Brown and Charles Turner Medal presented by the Dunedin Burns Club; $1000 generously sponsored by Lee and Royden Somerville and the Otago Scottish Heritage Council; publication of the winning poem in the Otago Daily Times; invitation and ticket to the Dunedin annual Burns Supper celebration (sponsored by the Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies).
2nd Prize: Certificate
3rd Prize: Certificate
Unpublished Poet
1st Prize: Allan Millar Medal and trophy presented by the Dunedin Burns Club; $500 generously sponsored by the Dunedin Public Libraries Association (Friends of the Library); publication of the winning poem in the Otago Daily Times; invitation and ticket to the Dunedin annual Burns Supper celebration (sponsored by the Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies).
See our dedicated competition page for the Rap Like Robbie competition for more information about the competition for teens.
The 2021 Robert Burns Poetry Competition runs from Wednesday 15 September 2021 – Friday 19 November 2021 inclusive.
Entries close at 5pm on Friday 19 November 2021.
Late entries will not be entered into the competition.
All entries must be typed.
A strict word count of 500 words max will be imposed.
All poems must be original to the person on the entry form and unpublished (the poem has not previously been published for payment or published as a winning entry in a previous competition).
Entries will be judged anonymously by the selected panel.
The decision of the judges is final.
Winning entrants will be selected and informed by Monday 13 December 2021.
Entrants will be judged within one of two categories: Published Poet or Unpublished Poet. An unpublished poet is defined as someone who has not published a poem in return for monetary payment. [A separate competition runs concurrently for poets under the age of 18]
Entrants are responsible for selecting their appropriate category.
We will accept entries that have previously been submitted to other competitions.
We will accept more than one poem per entrant, but each must be submitted separately.
Please ensure there is nothing on your poem document indicating your name or any other identification, as entries are judged anonymously.
Ensure your poem is given a title and make sure the title you state in your entry form matches the title written on your poem document.
First, Second and Third Prize winners will be selected from each category.
Winners will be publicly announced and prizes presented on Tuesday 25 January 2022 between 12.30pm and 1.30pm, at the Dunedin City Library. (The prizegiving ceremony is subject to the prevailing COVID-19 restrictions)
Prize winners will be invited to read their poem on collection of their prize, or may choose for their poem to be read on their behalf.
Winning entrants will not be funded to attend the official prize-giving.
If unable to attend, arrangements will be made for winning prizes to be collected by, or delivered to, the winner.
Prize winning poems will be published in the Otago Daily Times, in the Dunedin Public Libraries' e-magazine NB, and on the Dunedin Public Libraries' website.
A copy of all entries will be retained by the Dunedin Public Libraries, unless an entrant requests otherwise.
Please submit a copy of your original poem as entries will not be returned.
A ticket to the Robert Burns Birthday Supper on the evening of 25 January 2022 is offered to the FIRST PLACE WINNERS OF EACH CATEGORY ONLY - sponsored by the Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies. (This event is subject to the prevailing COVIC-19 alert level restrictions)