Our Judges (2019-)

Primary School Judge - Kathryn Apel

Kathryn Apel is a born-and-bred farm girl who’s scared of cows. She lives among the gum trees, cattle and kangaroos on a Queensland grazing property. Kat is the author of three verse novels and a rhyming picture book, and has been published globally in magazines, anthologies, text books – and on walls. Her younger reader verse novel, ‘Bully on the Bus’ won the Australian Family Therapy’s Award for Children’s Literature and was selected as a 2019 Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People (America).

Kat loves pumping poetry because she can flex her muscles across other genres, to bend (and break) writing rules. A trained teacher and literacy consultant, Kathryn conducts author talks and poetry workshops at schools and festivals around the world, as well as delivering professional development for educators – using poetry as a tool to develop writing muscle across the curriculum. Kathryn has an active online presence, through Twitter, Instagram and her website (katswhiskers.wordpress.com), where she blogs as a part of the international #PoetryFriday community. 

 

 

Secondary School Judge - Meredith Costain

Meredith Costain is a versatile writer from Victoria, whose work ranges from picture books through to poetry, novels and non-fiction. Her books include CBCA Honour Book Doodledum Dancing (a collection of verse for children illustrated by Pamela Allen), Musical Harriet, Bed Tails and her new series Olivia’s Secret Scribbles.

Meredith wrote stories and poems in her head while riding her bike to school along the banks of the Bunyip River, and her poem ‘My Little Creek’ was published in the children’s section of The Age newspaper  when she was eight.  Her poetry has appeared in many collections since then (both in Australia and internationally) and is a feature of her quirky best-selling series the Ella Diaries. She enjoys presenting poetry and writing workshops to children and adults around Australia and overseas.  www.meredithcostain.com.

 

 

Winning entries are chosen because they:

  • Stand out from the rest because the poet’s approach to the subject matter is individual or “different”

  • Have a distinctive style

  • Are a personal response to a situation the poet cares deeply about

  • Show that the poet is attuned to his or her surroundings

  • Touch deep emotions

  • Contain powerfully understated last lines

  • Resound with metaphors and similes that captivate the reader

  • Contain lines which are a treasure of clear, detailed sensory images

  • Are skilfully constructed, with memorable lines and poetic devices such as alliteration, rhythm and internal rhyme

  • Are thought-provoking.