34 to 37 Degrees South 2026
The SCWC Annual Poetry Anthology
PROSE-ish
Poetry in a Box
NOW OPEN
CLOSES 5 OCTOBER
We acknowledge and pay our respects to the Traditional Custodians and Elders of this nation and their continued spiritual and cultural connection to, and custodianship of, Country on which we live and create.
Based at Coledale, near Wollongong, the South Coast Writers Centre serves writers and readers in the NSW South Coast area between Helensburgh and Eden, and west into the Southern Highlands (approximately 34 to 37 degrees South latitude).
The SCWC invites members to submit work for an anthology of poetry on the theme:
‘PROSE-ish: Poetry in a Box’
Prose Poetry?
Prose poetry is written in prose rather than verse. It can look like a paragraph. Prose poetry is often justified on the page rather than left aligned (thus the 'box' reference). The prose poem may still use poetic devices, such as rhythm, rhyme, metaphor, compression, contortions of sentence structure, repetition and fragmentation. It combines lyrical and metrical elements of poetry and may use elements of modern prose such as lack of line breaks and punctuation.
The editors are looking for engaging poetry. Whether in a box or jumping out of it, we want works that are memorable, that use language well. We want poetry that bounds over conventions and ignores the tired old arguments of “is this poetry or prose?”. Convince us with your fabulous writing.
Send us your best new, polished work.
There are no prizes. Your reward is that, if selected, your poem(s) will appear in the anthology.
Your entry fees will support the work of the South Coast Writers Centre.
The SCWC Hardship Fund is available to members and their children who lack the financial means to attend SCWC workshops, events or courses, or to become members. If you need access to the fund, please email us.
CONDITIONS OF ENTRY:
Entry is open only to members of the South Coast Writers Centre (SCWC). If you are not a member, you can join our writing community and enter.
Entries open 31 August and close on 5 October at 11:59pm.
Submissions will only be accepted via the SCWC website.
A maximum of three entries per poet.
An entry fee of $10 must be paid with each poem entered. Please use a new entry form for each poem.
Each entry may be a maximum of 30 lines or 300 words and should be written mainly in English.
Each entry must be submitted as a Word file, formatted in 12 pt. Times New Roman font, with 1.5 line spacing.
The poet’s name must not appear in the Word document or in the file name.
We also welcome visual poetry (PDF), video poetry (MP4 and MOV files) and audio poetry (MP3, M4A, WAV files). Please keep your submission to around 2 minutes duration. For assistance uploading your file, please contact petercfrankis@gmail.com.
All entries will be ‘blind’ assessed by a panel of readers. The judges’ decisions are final, and no correspondence will be entered into about the judgments or the judging process.
Entries must be original works. Collaborative works are also welcome. No AI-generated work please.
Previously published, prize-winning or broadcast poems are ineligible.Poems self-published on your personal blog or personal website are permitted.
Entries under contract to a publisher or broadcaster are ineligible.
Simultaneous submissions are accepted. However, please inform us if your work is accepted elsewhere and we will withdraw it.
Entry fees will not be refunded if entries are subsequently withdrawn.
If you need to change your poem once you’ve submitted it, please get in touch (petercfrankis@gmail.com) before the submissions close on 5 October.
All poets will retain the copyright over their work while assigning to the South Coast Writers Centre a limited licence to publish the work.
34 to 37 Degrees South is an annual poetry anthology by the SCWC, begun in 2022.
Physical copies of the 2025, 2024 and 2023 editions are available to purchase from our online store.
Free digital versions of all previous anthologies can be read by scrolling down this webpage or clicking on the book covers below.
You can listen to SCWC member poets read their published works on our South Coast Poets Out Loud podcast, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other podcast services.
