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Poem Forest

Poem Forest is a free nature writing prize presented by Red Room Poetry and delivered in partnership with Wollongong City Council.

Write a poem, plant a tree

Students from K - 12, and accredited teachers, are invited to write a nature-inspired poem.

For every nature poem received a tree is planted in Wollongong to help grow our urban forest. With pen to paper, students and teachers can use their words to make positive climate action.

2026 competition

The 2026 Poem Forest poetry competition is now open until Friday 25 September.

Teachers and students can use the link below to submit their poem through the Red Room Poetry website.

Submit a Poem Forest entry

 

Join a digital workshop

Red Room Poetry will host free digital workshops to explore the theme of this year's Poem Forest: The Sounds of Country.

Educators can visit the Red Room Poetry website to register their interest.

2025 winners

Congratulations to our local winners.

CategoryRecipient
Wollongong Community Greening Local PrizeWinner: Charlie G, Year 3, Wollongong Public School
The Patient Thread 
Highly Commended: Isabella C, Year 6, Mount Ousley Public School
Torment in Grief 
National Lower Primary Prize (F/K-Y3)Winner: Charlie G, Year 3, Wollongong Public School
The Patient Thread
Primary First NationsWinner: Adon P, Year 5, Stanwell Park Public School
Biliirr
Primary CALDWinner: Charlie G, Year 3, Wollongong Public School
The Patient Thread

Visit the Poem Forest website to see all the winning and highly commended poems from 2025 and previous years.

Making a difference

Thanks to everyone who entered the 2025 Poem Forest Prize. Over 3,500 entries were received. Every single poem entered has helped plant native seedlings in parks, natural areas, in streets, and backyards here on Dharawal country in the Wollongong Local Government Area.

Wollongong has some of the lowest canopy cover in all of NSW, so if you're looking for more ways of helping improve the number of trees in our local area, check out our Community Greening pages.

Through the combined effort of the community in planting today, we can create a better tomorrow.