NZ poets are invited to participate in the Given Words poetry competition.

Stage 1: Send us a video saying one word of your choice. Only one word per person. It can be a noun, verb or adjective, and any language spoken in New Zealand. Send the video by Sunday 23 July to nzgivenwords@gmail.com along with your name and town.

Stage 2: Begins on 1 August when we will publish a video of our five favourite words from all those you have sent us. You then have until National Poetry Day 25 August to send us your poem, which must include the five words. The words can be in any order and verbs can change tense. The Best Poem and Best Poem by Under-16s (judged by NZ poet Charles Olsen) will receive prizes courtesy of Massey University Press and Mākaro Press and will be translated into Spanish for the Palabras Prestadas poetry blog.

Entry Details: Free entry. Open to all NZ citizens. Maximum length 200 words. One poem per person. Submit your poem by email including your full name and town of residence to nzgivenwords@gmail.com. Submissions close at midnight on National Poetry Day 25 August.
Dates/Times: Stage One: 23 June – 23 July / Stage Two: 1 August to 25 August
Location: Nationwide.
Contact Details: Charles Olsen – nzgivenwords@gmail.com
Further Info: nzgivenwords.blogspot.co.nz | https://www.facebook.com/events/436833510008018 | https://vimeo.com/218202693 | @givenwords