The Blake Poetry Prize was established in 2008 by The Blake Society, in partnership with the NSW Writers’ Centre and sponsored by Leichhardt Council in NSW. From 2016 (after a loss in funding), Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre (CPAC) and Liverpool City Council took over funding and managing both the art prize and the poetry prize, with events moving to Casula. From 2017, management was intended to shift to Liverpool City Library, in conjunction with CPAC, but bookshop Westwords ultimately took the library's role in the partnership.
It is an open poetry prize, for works of 100 lines or less. The prize aims to encourage Australian poets to engage in the dialogue between religion, spirituality and poetry.
It is one of two prizes established by The Blake Society (the other award is the Blake Prize, for art) that challenge artists and poets to investigate ideas and issues surrounding spiritual thought and religion in contemporary art and literature.
The Blake Society takes its name from William Blake, a visionary artist and poet. The Society aims to encourage artists of disparate styles, religious and spiritual allegiances to create significant works of art and poetry.
Source: http://www.blakeprize.com/about/prizes-awarded Sighted: 3/12/2013.
The Blake Poetry Prize is a joint venture between the New South Wales Writers' Centre with the Blake Society, Leichhardt Municipal Council and Wet Ink magazine. The Prize is a means to 'link art and literature and to give Australian poets new possibilities to explore the nature of spirituality in the twenty-first century'.
The Prize was announced in 2007 and first offered in 2008 with prizemoney of $5,000 and publication in Wet Ink for the winner.
Source: The Blake Prize website, http://www.blakeprize.com.au/
Sighted: 10/09/2007
