The Annual W B Yeats Poetry Prize for Australia was first awarded in 1996. The aim of the Prize is to foster and encourage poetry and literature as well as interest in the life and work of William Butler Yeats (1865-1939).

The theme is 'open', down the years this has proved succesful with many different styles of poetry winning the Prize.

Two judges select the winning and commended poems, with the first- named judge, dropping out after their second year of judging. The second judge selects his/her companion judge for the following year.

The judges receive the entries with nothing other than a number to identify the author, a week after the closing date for submissions. Prior to this I sort out the entries, numbering each one.

Where a poet submits more than one entry, as many do, I spread the extra entries throughout the entries.

Past judges have been :

Elaine Barry

Penelope Buckley

John Flaus

Earl Livings

Heather Sebo