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City of Wollongong
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Poem Forest

POEM FOREST is a free nature writing prize presented by Red Room Poetry and delivered in partnership with Wollongong City Council.

Write a poem, plant a tree

Students from K - 12, and accredited teachers, are invited to write a nature inspired poem.

For every nature poem received a tree is planted in Wollongong to help grow our urban forest. With pen to paper, students and teachers can use their words to make positive climate action.

The 2024 poetry competition is now open. Both students and teachers have until Friday 27 September to submit their poem to Red Room Poetry

2023 Winners

Congratulations to our local winners:

  • Winner - Wollongong Community Greening Local Prize: 'the forest along the M5' by Jayda B, Year 11, Illawarra Christian School
  • Highly Commended - Wollongong Community Greening Local Prize: 'Chop Chop Grandfather Tree' by Kaleb I, Year 5, The Illawarra Grammar School
  • Highly Commended - National Lower Primary Prize (F/K-Y3): 'Baby Possum' by Elysia Roselle W, F/K, St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School
  • Winner - Accredited Teacher:  'Mallacoota' by Kate Wilkinson, Teacher, Illawarra Christian School

View all the winning and highly commended poems at the Poem Forest website.

Thanks to everyone who entered the 2023 POEM FOREST Prize. Over 6,400 entries were received. Every single poem entered has helped plant native seedlings in parks, natural areas, in streets, and backyards here on Dharawal country in the Wollongong Local Government Area.

Wollongong has some of the lowest canopy cover in all of NSW, so if you're looking for more ways of helping improve the number of trees in our local area, check out our Community Greening pages.

Through the combined effort of the community in planting today, we can create a better tomorrow.

2022 Winners

  • Winner - Wollongong Community Greening Local Prize: 'Guardian Angel' by Livinia M in Year 5 from St Columbkilles Catholic Primary School
  • Highly Commended - Wollongong Community Greening Local Prize: 'If the things that I have loved' by Ellie Y in Year 5 at Austinmer Public School

Poem Forest