Peter Steele Poetry Award

Eligibility

To be eligible for this scholarship, you must:

• be a current PhD student in the Faculty of Arts; or,
• have submitted a thesis in the Faculty of Arts within the previous five years of the scholarship closing date; and,
• have included a poetry collection or verse novel as part of your thesis.

Selection criteria

Eligible applications will be assessed by a selection committee considering the following:

• the quality of the submitted poetry;
• academic merit;
• estimated impact of the funds towards the preparation of a manuscript for submission or publication; and,
• appropriateness of the proposed project at this stage of the applicant’s career.

Eligible applicants must submit an online application including:

• a 300-word abstract from your submitted thesis;
• a 500-word proposal outlining the activities the award will fund;
• a poetry sample of up to 10 pages preferably from your thesis;
• a University of Melbourne academic transcript;
• a literary CV of no more than 2 pages; and,
• any other information to support the application that may assist the committee in making its decision.

Peter Steele Poetry Award Donors

Father Peter Steele AM (1939 - 2012) was an academic at the University of Melbourne, a graduate of the university and scholar in residence at Newman College. An acclaimed poet and academic, Steele was a visiting professor at the University of Alberta, Georgetown University, Loyola University of Chicago and Fordham University.

In 2010 Steele was awarded the Christopher Brennan Award for lifetime achievement in Poetry and was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2012 for service to literature and higher education as a poet, author, scholar and teacher, and to the Catholic Church.

The Peter Steele Poetry Award is supported by the generous contribution of a group of donors including The Hon Susan M Crennan AC QC and Dr Michael Crennan QC, Allan Myers AC QC and Maria Myers AC, Dr Jack Steele, and 7 additional contributors.