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EnglishHow to Submit Poems or Enter Friendly Street Poets' Poetry Prizes
Updated
Friendly Street Poets (FSP) is an Adelaide poets collective running since 1975, and its website is where you track submission and prize opportunities rather than a single permanent submission form. The site publishes outcomes for recurring programs — the annual anthology, New Poets, Single Poet, and the Satura and Nova prizes — so the practical approach is to watch the site for each program's call and follow the editors' or judges' instructions when it opens. The page evidence shows announcements of winners and launches, not standing submission rules, so treat any specific deadline or eligibility requirement as something to confirm on the official notice.
What FSP publishes and awards
The site's announcements map out the main channels a poet can enter:
| Program | What it is | Evidence from the site |
|---|---|---|
| FSP Annual Anthology | A yearly anthology of poems, with two prizes attached | Quintessence, the 50th annual anthology, edited by Val Braendler and Ben Adams, launched 29 August 2026 at the Effective Living Centre |
| Satura Prize | Awarded to the best poem published in the anthology | Nova Prize winner Kathryn von Bergen; Satura highly commended Rory Harris and Virginia Hussin; Satura commended Valerie Volk |
| Nova Prize | Awarded to the best poem by a poet published for the first time in an FSP anthology | Same 2026 announcement; judge was Shaine Melrose |
| New Poets | A recurring showcase for newer poets | New Poets 27 judged by Rob de Kok; winners Verity Laughton (Swallows), Rob McKinnon (ember rain), Tracy McNally (Wishing on Satellites); highly commended Polly Cass (Rivers and Roads) |
| Single Poet | A separate single-poet publication | Single Poet 2026 judged by Steve Brock; winner Helen Hutton (the syntax of silence); runner-up Chelsea Avard (telling secrets); highly commended Amanda Solly (Encyclopedia Ephemera); commended Peter Mahoney (Putain Quais) |
The 2026 New Poets 27 and Single Poet volumes were announced at the Box Factory on Friday 7 August 2026, with a launch scheduled for Saturday 12 December at the Wheatsheaf Hotel in Thebarton.
How the selection process works
Both the anthology prizes and the New Poets / Single Poet places are decided by named editors and judges, not by open public vote. In the 2026 cycle:
- The anthology was edited by Val Braendler and Ben Adams, with Shaine Melrose judging the Satura and Nova prizes.
- New Poets 27 was judged by Rob de Kok.
- Single Poet 2026 was judged by Steve Brock.
That means entry is a curated process: you submit when a call is open, and a judge or editor selects from what is received. The site's role is to announce who was chosen and when the resulting books launch.
Practical steps to enter
- Check the site for an open call. Look for a post naming the current year's anthology, New Poets, or Single Poet, and read it for the submission window and format.
- Note the editor or judge for that cycle. The announcements name them (for example, Rob de Kok for New Poets 27, Steve Brock for Single Poet 2026), which tells you which program you are entering.
- Follow the stated requirements exactly. The page evidence does not list word limits, fees, or eligibility, so use the specific call notice rather than assuming rules carry over from a previous year.
- Submit before the deadline in the notice. Deadlines are set per cycle; the 2026 announcements show results in August and September, which indicates calls close earlier in the year.
- Watch for the launch and results. Outcomes appear as site posts — winners, runners-up, highly commended, and commended — followed by launch details.
Where the City Meeting and Open Mic fit
FSP also runs a September City Meeting & Open Mic, listed among the site's recent posts. Open mic events are a separate way to read work aloud and get known to the collective, distinct from the judged anthology and New Poets / Single Poet channels. If your goal is publication or a prize, the anthology and New Poets / Single Poet calls are the relevant routes; the open mic is the live, in-person entry point.
Common sticking points
- No permanent submission page. Because the site posts results and launches, a reader looking for a standing "submit here" form may not find one. Check recent posts for the current call instead.
- Rules change per cycle. Editors and judges differ each year, so requirements from a past announcement should not be assumed to apply.
- Prizes are tied to the anthology. The Satura and Nova prizes are awarded to poems published in the annual anthology, so entering the anthology is the path to those prizes rather than a separate contest.
- Confirm details on the official notice. Fees, eligibility, and formatting are not stated in the available page evidence, so verify them on the specific call before submitting.