Media Release: Joy Birch MLA, 24 June 2013
Poems celebrating Canberra’s centenary will be seen around Canberra following the announcement today of the winners of the 2013 Poetry in ACTION competition by Minister for the Arts Joy Burch.
“Poetry in ACTION is a joint venture between artsACT and ACTION Buses, providing bus passengers a unique opportunity to enjoy poetry and a moment of reflection while travelling along Canberra’s bus routes,” Ms Burch said.
“It’s a really good way to not only encourage locals to write poems but also promote these works – and poetry more generally – to the wider Canberra community.”
From today, bus commuters will be able to enjoy reading the poems of 10 winners of the competition: Tara Cheyne, Peter Clynes, P.S. Cottier, Isaac Dugdale, Katherine Hind, Rosa O’Kane, Moya Pacey, Geoff Page, Sarah Rice and Elisabeth Yarbakhsh.
An independent peer panel of distinguished writers and poets – Hal Judge, Lizz Murphy and Will Small – chose the winners from the 270 submissions received. Each winner was awarded received $500, a $40 MyWay card and their winning entry posted on ACTION buses.
In addition, 10 shortlisted poets will each receive a $40 MyWay card. “This year’s Poetry in ACTION was a particularly special one. Being Canberra’s 100th birthday, the poems evoke different aspects of our wonderful city, and I think their imagery, as well as their Canberra-focused designs will become well-loved by bus commuters.”
“One of the important principals of the ACT Arts Policy Framework is facilitating community participation in the arts. The ACT Government is very pleased that the 2013 Poetry in ACTION initiative has inspired so many people to participate, and many more will benefit from the outcome.”
Winners and shortlisted entries can be found at the Arts ACT Website
This page was last updated on 6 August 2022
