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

The first stage Expression of Interest (EOI) will be judged according to:

• the quality of the submitted poetry; and,
• academic merit.

The full application will be awarded using the following selection criteria:

• quality of the poetry;
• 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.

All applicants are required to submit an online EOI by 13 March consisting of:

• a 300-word abstract from your submitted thesis;
• a University of Melbourne academic transcript; and,
• a poetry sample of up to 5 pages from your thesis.

Shortlisted applicants will be asked to submit the following additional application by 17 April:

• a 500-word proposal outlining the activities the award will fund;
• a CV of no more than 2 pages; and,
• a poetry sample of up to 10 pages preferably from your thesis.

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.