Blog
Building a community of poets as annual competition closes
Wed, 11 December 2024
The 2025 AVBOB Poetry Competition officially closed at 23:59 on 30 November 2024. As before, poets were invited to submit up to 10 poems in any of South Africa’s official written languages on the theme I Wish I’d Said… and by the time the competition closed, 6 639 poets had responded with 29 499 entries. In the competition’s eight years, over 230 000 poems have been entered in total.
A cash prize of R10 000 will be awarded to the first-place winner in each language category, and the winning poems will be published in an annual anthology. Winners will be announced at the 2025 AVBOB Poetry Gala, at which time the next annual anthology, I Wish I’d Said… Volume 8, will also be launched.
“We are delighted to reflect on yet another remarkable response as we conclude the eighth year of the AVBOBPoetry Competition,” says Editor-in-Chief Johann de Lange. “This year’s submissions have been of exceptional quality, demonstrating not only the enduring passion for poetry but also a growing refinement in craft.”
AVBOB CEO Carl van der Riet said, “Each year, we are moved anew by the entrants’ range of experience and their willingness to make themselves vulnerable. It is a privilege to witness people from across South Africa finding words for the things that move them most deeply.”
As in previous years, 3 000 poems have been hand-selected by the competition’s editors and added to the AVBOB Poetry Library, a free online resource that offers over 25 000 poems of comfort, consolation and encouragement to the general public.
“This platform is already larger and more expansive than we could have dreamed when we first launched the competition eight years ago,” said Van der Riet. “It has become a shared space for poets across generations, across linguistic barriers, and from all walks of life.”
To foster a sense of community between local poets and sharpen the skills of aspiring poets, the AVBOBPoetry Project ran a third series of online poetry workshops, freely accessible to the general public, in 2024. Invitations to the fourth series, which will be hosted in the first half of 2025, will be made available this week via AVBOB Poetry’s social media.
“It is still too early to know how this year’s competition will be different from those of previous years,” De Lange said, “but certain information is already apparent. For instance, we know that the oldest entrant is 87 years old. The youngest entrant this year is 10 years old, and the youngest poet selected for publication is 14 years old. We also know that the percentage of entries in 2024 in indigenous languages remains high at 47%, which is an encouraging sign.”
In conclusion, Van der Riet had this to say, “We extend our gratitude to every poet who participated – you are the lifeblood of this competition! Thank you for your contributions, which enrich the literary landscape of South Africa. We eagerly look forward to what the future holds as we continue to celebrate the voices that shape our nation.”
Poets and lovers of poetry can access the AVBOB Poetry Library and Blog – filled with interviews of inspirational poets and How-To articles – at www.avbobpoetry.co.za
A cash prize of R10 000 will be awarded to the first-place winner in each language category, and the winning poems will be published in an annual anthology. Winners will be announced at the 2025 AVBOB Poetry Gala, at which time the next annual anthology, I Wish I’d Said… Volume 8, will also be launched.
“We are delighted to reflect on yet another remarkable response as we conclude the eighth year of the AVBOBPoetry Competition,” says Editor-in-Chief Johann de Lange. “This year’s submissions have been of exceptional quality, demonstrating not only the enduring passion for poetry but also a growing refinement in craft.”
AVBOB CEO Carl van der Riet said, “Each year, we are moved anew by the entrants’ range of experience and their willingness to make themselves vulnerable. It is a privilege to witness people from across South Africa finding words for the things that move them most deeply.”
As in previous years, 3 000 poems have been hand-selected by the competition’s editors and added to the AVBOB Poetry Library, a free online resource that offers over 25 000 poems of comfort, consolation and encouragement to the general public.
“This platform is already larger and more expansive than we could have dreamed when we first launched the competition eight years ago,” said Van der Riet. “It has become a shared space for poets across generations, across linguistic barriers, and from all walks of life.”
To foster a sense of community between local poets and sharpen the skills of aspiring poets, the AVBOBPoetry Project ran a third series of online poetry workshops, freely accessible to the general public, in 2024. Invitations to the fourth series, which will be hosted in the first half of 2025, will be made available this week via AVBOB Poetry’s social media.
“It is still too early to know how this year’s competition will be different from those of previous years,” De Lange said, “but certain information is already apparent. For instance, we know that the oldest entrant is 87 years old. The youngest entrant this year is 10 years old, and the youngest poet selected for publication is 14 years old. We also know that the percentage of entries in 2024 in indigenous languages remains high at 47%, which is an encouraging sign.”
In conclusion, Van der Riet had this to say, “We extend our gratitude to every poet who participated – you are the lifeblood of this competition! Thank you for your contributions, which enrich the literary landscape of South Africa. We eagerly look forward to what the future holds as we continue to celebrate the voices that shape our nation.”
Poets and lovers of poetry can access the AVBOB Poetry Library and Blog – filled with interviews of inspirational poets and How-To articles – at www.avbobpoetry.co.za
