Poetry Month X

Support you’ll receive

• $1000 towards artist fees and production costs
• Featured listing on the Red Room Poetry website and Poetry Month Calendar
• Promotion of your event listing on Red Room Poetry’s digital channels including Poetry Month EDM, and social media channels
• Marketing toolkit including Poetry Month branding for your event or activation
• Support from a Red Room Poetry Producer, including a brief meeting to discuss logistics, final line-up, and refine copy

Poetry Month aims to amplify and celebrate contemporary Australian poetry and poets; create new paid opportunities for emerging and established poets; and ensure affordable and equitable access to poetry for everyone.

Events or activations must:

• Take place during the month of August, 2026
• Have contemporary Australian poetry and poets as the central theme or artform
• Be located in Australia - and specifically celebrating the local poetic landscape in QLD, TAS, SA, or NT.
• Be accessible, and free or low-cost for the public
• Commit to paying all participating poets fairly (aligned with industry rates - see ASA rates here for reference)

What event formats are eligible?

All live event types are accepted including performances, open mic, slams, workshops, panels, conferences, networking, masterclasses etc, but please note that competitions and initiatives where publication is the main outcome are not eligible for inclusion in the calendar - however we warmly invite you to enter our #30in30 competition.

Do you accept proposals for ideas that are not live events?

This year we are also accepting proposals for amplification initiatives outside of live events. This could include site-responsive installations, screenings, interdisciplinary collaborations or postal projects - whatever you can dream up that you think will meaningfully amplify contemporary Australian poets and poetry in your region, and connect to new audiences within the budget offered!

Can I apply with an event as part of a festival or other program?

Events and initiatives that are part of regular programming and local festivals are eligible to apply as long as they meet the above criteria and are not already funded. Red Room Poetry and Poetry Month must be acknowledged as the source of funding, and the event or initiative must follow the branding guidelines within the marketing toolkit.

Selection Criteria

1. Viability of the proposed event or initiative - including the experience of the producers and the budget
2. Amplification of contemporary Australian poetry and poets - particularly in engaging new audiences, or offering something new to existing audiences
3. Accessibility of the proposed event or initiative - including to any artists or audiences who might face barriers to engaging with contemporary Australian poetry

• Tuesday 17 February - Open for applications
• Tuesday 31 March, 5pm AEDT - Applications close
• Early April - Notification of outcome, contract sent
• Early June - Check-in meeting (30mins) to confirm event/initiative shape, copy, artists etc. Marketing toolkit sent.
• Tuesday 16 June - deadline for final marketing materials including event link, image/s and final website copy for the Poetry Month program.
• Wednesday 1 July - Poetry Month program launches, including Poetry Month X
• August - Poetry Month
• September - Complete brief Culture Counts survey

Conditions of Funding

To help us deliver a cohesive national program, we ask that our selected Poetry Month X collaborators commit to the following:

• Values Alignment: Red Room Poetry reserves the right to decline or cancel events that do not meet the eligibility criteria or align with our community guidelines and stated values.
• Funding Acknowledgement: Red Room Poetry and Poetry Month must be acknowledged as the source of funding in all promotional materials.
• Branding & Toolkit: Collaborators must use the provided Marketing Toolkit and adhere to Poetry Month branding guidelines for the event or activation.
• Co-Production: As this is a featured part of our program, we’ll work with you to refine your event copy and logistics during a brief check-in meeting to ensure it fits within the broader national program.
• Simple Acquittal: Following the event, collaborators must provide three high-resolution images and complete a brief impact survey to acquit the project.