2026 Poetry d’Amour Love Poetry Contest Finalists

We are delighted to announce the finalists for the Poetry d’Amour 2026 Love Poetry Contest.
This year’s competition drew entries from across Australia and around the world, offering a rich and varied celebration of love in all its forms.

Our heartfelt thanks go to every poet who entered, and to our judge for their careful reading and thoughtful selections.

Introducing This Year’s Judge – Deanne Leber

Deanne Leber is a poet from Boorloo – Perth.  Deanne has been sharing her work at readings, festivals and community events for over thirty years.  She has independently published three collections of poetry.  Book of Days was shortlisted for the Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards in 2006. Constellations, which was the creative component of her PhD work at Edith Cowan University, was a finalist in the Contemporary category of the 2022 International Book Awards. Constellations is a series of 88 erasure poems, based upon the myths and histories of celestial constellations.   Deanne’s chapbook, How to Throw Stones, was launched as part of the Perth Poetry Festival in 2025 and forms part of Deanne’s upcoming collection of poetry, The Glass Cactus.  Deanne’s work has appeared in literary journals and anthologies, including Brushstrokes, Poetry d’Amour, Creatrix, as well as the 2024 ACU Prize for Poetry anthology, Faith.

Longlist – Poetry d’Amour 2026

Poetry d’Amour
2026 Longlist
Poem Title Poet State / Country
A Chance Reunion, Aubade Maria Bonar WA
A Leopard Thinks its Mother is a Cow B. R. Dionysius QLD
A Little While Longer Veronica Troup VIC
A Quiet Kindness Laura Jan Shore NSW
A Seed Remains SoulReserve WA
after winter, spring moves in Miranda Aitken WA
An Orb Spider Embroiders Her Love B. R. Dionysius QLD
At the threshold Kaitlyn Sun WA
backflips and barrel rolls Chelsea Avard SA
Bahlam Beek Robert E. Shapiro United States
Beach Therapy Roger Vickery NSW
Beyond symbolism — Shoshanna Rockman VIC
Big Bang Nisha D’cruz WA
Caught Gary Colombo De Piazzi WA
Caught, looking Beth Spencer NSW
Channelling You Ellen Shelley NSW
CICADA POLARITY Chris Palazzolo WA
Clair de Lune Claire Matsika —
Consolations Laura Jan Shore NSW
Constellation Fiona Burrows WA
Daisy chain through the Reader’s Digest Reverse Dictionary, revised 2004 Henry Hayden NSW
EDT80s Scott Jackson NSW
Emergency Contact Kabal Briar United States
Ending Amanda Spooner QLD
Eyes Lindsay R J Shelton WA
FWB Tom Dauven WA
Galaxy Frogs Julia Audrey United States
Gentle Damen O’Brien QLD
goodbye cycle Andrea Louise Thomas VIC
Honorer les morts Virginia O’Keeffe WA
hope Chelsea Avard SA
i loved you in all those wilding places Dean Gessie Canada
Idle Veronica Troup VIC
In all the multiverses Jaya Penelope Mullumby WA
In Front of Perth Airport International Departures Lidya Pawestri Ayuningtyas WA
IN THE MEANTIME Stephen Smithyman VIC
In the warm New York 4 o’clock light Jane Frank QLD
Location Topher Shields New Zealand
Love (absentia) Kylie Sturgess WA
Love in Literature City Miranda Aitken WA
Lucifer Glenn McPherson NSW
Mekudeshet Robert E. Shapiro United States
Midnight Beth Spencer NSW
Mind the gaps Samantha Boswell WA
Mum, it’s summer again, Gaye McPhie WA
Mutterings from the Machine: Search _ Love Christopher Konrad WA
My Heart in (3) Parts Brittany Riley NSW
MY LOVE IS THE SUN Kaitlyn Sun WA
Nanna, my safest place. Jewel Ocean WA
Nimbus Fiona Burrows WA
Nocturnes Deborah Dawkings ACT
Object-oriented ontology Chim Sher Ting Singapore
Obsession CJ O’Harte WA
Our Haphazard Corners Jessica Elsea WA
Our Little Beach Peter Mitchell NSW
photos on Instagram Penelope Efstathiou VIC
Portrait Melody Crouch WA
Proof of Life John Bowen United Kingdom
PROPHETIC FALLACY Richard Clarke NSW
Quiet Fire Glen Hunting NT
ravenless and clear Jan Napier WA
Rehearsing Eternity Ellen O’Brien WA
Remembering Daybreak Jo Merrey WA
RESISTANCE Rosie Shriever TAS
Salty Creatures Krista Schmeling ACT
Seen 8.43pm NMG —
Semaphore Tom Dauven WA
She lived but closely Christopher Konrad WA
Singing the Grapes David John Terelinck QLD
Sisters Gaye McPhie WA
Sleeping In Damen O’Brien QLD
softening in middle age Paris Rosemont NSW
Sonnet Deborah Dawkings ACT
Sonnet for Adam Tineke Van der Eecken WA
Sunshine Sunshine Germany
Tell Me Again Kylie Sturgess WA
The ache of love – Pasan Ganegama WA
The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife Philip Neilsen QLD
The Edge of Everywhere Jaya Penelope Mullumby WA
The End of Dreams SoulReserve WA
The Last Cloud Brian Francis Purcell NSW
The Last Good Peach at the Bottom of the Bag Kabal Briar United States
The Pie Dish Scott Jackson NSW
The Scent of Memory Fran Graham WA
The signet ring Ian Reid WA
These last years* Karen May ACT
Things We’ve Been Henry Hayden NSW
Tidepooling Linda McQuarrie-Bowerman NSW
Two noses in two different books, James Audcent WA
ways of saying Penelope Efstathiou VIC
With Love from a Spanish Plaza Suzette Thompson WA
Your Weekend Away Tim Edwards WA
Zealot Chim Sher Ting Singapore

Closing Note

Congratulations to all poets selected for the 2026 Poetry d’Amour Love Poetry Contest Longlist!

We’re delighted to celebrate this year’s longlisted poets and their work, and we hope you’ll join us at the Perth Poetry Festival Awards.

🎟 Longlisted poets can book a free seat here:
https://events.humanitix.com/ppf2026-awards

Alongside our shortlisted poets, we’ll also be inviting a small number of longlisted poets who are among the first to put their names down on the night to read their selected poem at the event.

Come along, celebrate the poets, hear some of this year’s selected work, and be part of the 2026 Ros Spencer Poetry Prize celebrations.

Congratulations again to everyone on the longlist. We look forward to seeing you there!