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The University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor’s International Poetry Prize
Subcategory of Awards Australian Awards
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History

'The University of Canberra has established an international poetry prize. On behalf of the university, this is administered by the International Poetry Studies Institute (IPSI), part of the Centre for Creative and Cultural Research in the Faculty of Arts and Design.

'The prize celebrates the enduring significance of poetry to cultures everywhere in the world, and its ongoing and often seminal importance to world literatures. It marks the University of Canberra's commitment to creativity and imagination in all that it does, and builds on the work of the International Poetry Studies Institute in identifying poetry as a highly resilient and sophisticated human activity. It also builds on the activities of the Centre for Creative and Cultural Research, which conducts wide-ranging research into human creativity and culture.

'The University of Canberra's Vice-Chancellor's International Poetry Prize was offered for the first time in 2014.' (Award summary)

Latest Winners / Recipients

Year: 2014

winner Dazzled i "A song swelled, caught the wind like a sail, billowing", David Adès , 2014 single work poetry
— Appears in: Dazzled : The University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor's International Poetry Prize 2014; (p. 12-13) The Sydney Morning Herald , 9 September 2014; Australian Poetry Anthology 2015; (p. 116-117)

Works About this Award

Letter from Canberra : Poetry on the Move Vahni Capildeo , 2018 single work essay
— Appears in: PN Review , January - February vol. 44 no. 3 2018;

'The planet was waiting for whatever life form inhabited tall buildings and ultra-wide boulevards. At night the temperature fell to minus six, dryly; by day it touched thirty, in this neighbourhood of lakes. I walked half an hour and met one other soul walking in the opposite direction. I say the planet because the city felt round, like an embrace. Perhaps that warmth was from the welcome at IPSI, the International Poetry Studies Institute at the University of Canberra. Seventy-five poets had gathered for the ‘Poetry on the Move’ festival, which ran from 14 through 21 September. The theme of the festival’s third iteration was ‘Boundary Crossings’. There were emphases on migration, ekphrasis and multilingualism. A number of significant prizes were awarded, including the Vice-Chancellor’s International Poetry Prize. All events were free. The full listing remains online.' (Introduction)

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