Conditions of Entry

 CONDITIONS OF ENTRY

Entering Poetry:

• Step-by-step entry instructions are always available to view here: https://dorothea.com.au/how-to-enter/.
• If registering as an individual student, put HOME address in contact details and not SCHOOL address. The address you list is where your participation certificate/s will be posted in September/October.
• As of 2019, the Project Officer and/or any DMPA representative will not access or edit poems once submitted into competition portal. It is the parent’s/teacher’s responsibility to ensure that the category, formatting, spelling, grammar and student details are one-hundred percent correct.
• As of 2021, the DMPA will no longer accept postal entries due to environmental and administrative reasons. All entries in primary and secondary categories must be entered online via the Portal.
• Emailed entries will not be accepted.
• If a mistake with the submission is made, the teacher or parent must re-enter the respective poem again.
• ‘Award Categories and Prizes’ and ‘How to Enter’ form part of the Conditions of Entry.
• Only students enrolled in Australian education facilities (K-12) are eligible to enter.
• Entries are accepted from 1 March to 30 June.
• Poems that have been previously entered in the Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards are not eligible to be entered again.
• Poems that are currently entered in other competitions are eligible to be entered.
• All poems must be the student’s own work (any excerpts from or rewording of another poem must be appropriately referenced).
• Class and group poems are accepted. For group poems, enter surnames (e.g., Smith, Holmes, Peters) in box, followed by matching first names (e.g., John, Amy, Jake.) Names can then be placed at bottom of poem text (e.g., John Smith, Amy Holmes, Jake Peters.) Class poems must have class name as first name and/or surname.
• Poems on any subject are accepted, annual theme is optional.
• Limits: up to 3 poems per student; poems no longer than 80 lines; no illustrations, graphics or decorations submitted.
• The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
• Entrants may be asked to assist in media publicity in the form of comments and/or photographs.
• Submitted material will not be returned, only selected records are kept.
• Copyright remains with the author, however, the Dorothea Mackellar Memorial Society Inc. reserves the right to have any entry published, reproduced or publicised for promotion purposes.

Entry Fees

• Our entry fees are as follows (please register for a lesser fee if the estimated number is not known):

• An invoice will be emailed upon registration and credit card payment with step-by-step entry details found here: https://dorothea.com.au/how-to-enter/.

Announcement of winners:

• Winners and runners-up will be contacted in early August.
• Winners are announced at the National Presentation ceremony and online on first Friday of September each year (unless stated prior.) Runners-up, shortlisted, highly commended, and commended are also published online on this day.
• Due to the sheer volume of entries, unsuccessful applicants will not be contacted.

Participation Certificates:

• Participation certificates are mailed nationwide between mid-September – late-October each year to the address listed in the registration form. If registering as an individual student, put HOME address in contact details and not SCHOOL address.
• As they are posted from a regional post office, please allow 1-3 weeks for them to arrive.

Annual anthology:

• The annual anthology is comprised of all winning, runners-up, shortlisted, highly commended and commended poems from all competition categories.
• Anthologies are available to be ordered in paperback or digital format post-Presentation Ceremony using the form on the back of the presentation booklet or by contacting [email protected].
• Anthologies are usually posted between late-October – November each year. As they are posted from a regional post office, please allow 1-3 weeks for them to arrive.

Extra Award Conditions:

David Maher Award (awarded to the best individual entry from a small school)

(In addition to the conditions above):

• Open to primary schools only
• Schools must have a total enrolment of less than 25 students. Entrants will be checked for eligibility
• Home-school/distance education students are not eligible for this award
• Judges reserve the right not to award this prize

Kurrumbede Award (awarded to the best primary school and secondary school entry from a school within 100km of Gunnedah)

(In addition to the conditions listed above):

• Open to primary schools and secondary schools within 100km radius of Gunnedah centre
• Entrants will be checked for eligibility
• Judges reserve the right not to award this prize

PRIVACY POLICY

The Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards collect information from individuals and organisations in order to administer and deliver its programs, communicate with its stakeholders, associates and customers and is committed to the protection of privacy and personal information (see Privacy Policy).