SLANZA Champions the Creation of Children's Poetry in Aotearoa

SLANZA is thrilled to announce our partnership with The Poets XYZ for their third annual poetry competition. This collaboration underscores our shared commitment to foster reading for pleasure by nurturing the creation of high-quality poetry for children and providing a vibrant platform to celebrate this vital genre. By supporting poets who craft engaging verses for young minds, we're helping to lay the foundation for a lifelong love of reading.

Elena de Roo, Melinda Szymanik, and Kathryn Dove

The Poets XYZ was founded by children’s authors Melinda Szymanik, Elena de Roo, and Kathryn Dove following the 2022 Storylines Hui. Their mission: to cultivate a thriving community for poets who write for children in Aotearoa New Zealand, an area that has traditionally received less recognition.
"Poetry for adults is flourishing in Aotearoa New Zealand," says Melinda. "But poetry for children is almost invisible. We'd like to change that."
Kathryn agrees, noting, "When I started looking to get my children’s poems published four years ago, I had to send my work overseas because there were no opportunities here."
The idea for a competition, specifically for adults who write poetry for children, sparked during a casual coffee conversation. The inaugural competition in 2023, backed by Phantom Billstickers and National Poetry Day, was a resounding success. "We had no idea how many entries we’d receive," recalls Elena. "We were blown away to get over seventy poems from more than thirty poets."

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Announcing the 2025 Competition: Big Things Little Things
We're excited to support The Poets XYZ for their third competition, themed Big Things Little Things.
The Poets XYZ are delighted to have our backing. "SLANZA’s generous financial support helps to highlight the importance of poetry in children’s lives and education," says Melinda. By actively encouraging poets to create imaginative and captivating works for young audiences, this competition enriches the literary landscape for children. It also creates a dedicated event that celebrates the art of children's poetry, inspiring both writers and future readers.
SLANZA will host a dedicated landing page on our website for all competition details, and we'll proudly publish the winning poems in our Collected magazine. This ensures these exceptional works receive the broad audience they deserve.
The competition is a key part of Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day 2025. It's free to enter and open to New Zealand residents aged 18 and over. Entries close on Friday, August 1st, 2025.

Renowned children’s writer and poet Bill Nagelkerke will judge the competition.

For more information and to submit your entry, visit our landing page.