Banjo Paterson Australian Poetry Festival
Andrew Barton (Banjo) Paterson was born in Orange on 17 February 1864. We celebrated the 150th anniversary of his birth in 2014 with a community festival. Since then, Orange has run an annual festival. Each year, the Rotary Club of Orange partners with Orange’s tourism organisation (Orange 360), the Orange and District Historical Society, the Yeoval community and the Councils of Orange, Cabonne and Blayney to celebrate Australian poetry. This celebration, the Banjo Paterson Australian Poetry Festival includes:
- Events in Molong, Yeoval, Millthorpe, Orange
- Events in wineries, pubs, museums, historic sites, schools and outdoors.
- An Australian Poetry Competition for poets reciting their own original poetry
- A Family Market Day with walk-up bush poetry as entertainment
- Displays and activities at Yeoval in conjunction with the exhibition “Banjo Paterson – more than a poet”
- Breakfast and poetry in the Civic Centre precinct, Orange
- Birthday celebrations for Banjo Paterson’s birth in Orange
Thanks to our sponsors:
- Townsend Real Estate
- Pybar Mining Services
- MSM Milling
- McArdle Cleaning and Restoration Services
- ACES Air Conditioning and Engineering Services
- Hansen Optometrists
- Ron Finemore Transport
- and more to come – if you can provide some sponsorship contact Len Banks on 0428 459 117
2023 Banjo Paterson Australian Poetry Festival
The Festival begins with a celebration of Banjo’s birthday on Friday 17 February 2023 and runs through to Sunday 26 February 2023.
There will be about 20 events over that time and at least 7 opportunities for walk-up performances in pubs, wineries and open air at breakfast.
A draft program of events can be found HERE
Included in the program for the Festival in Orange, are five key poetry competitions.
1. National Bush Poetry Performance Championships.
These will be run by the ABPA and guidelines are available on the ABPA website. Entries include 4 categories (Original Humorous, Original Serious, Modern and Traditional) with a $10 entry fee for each category and prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd in each category, as well as an overall National Champion. The National Championships will be held at the Orange Ex Services Club on Thursday and Friday 23 and 24 February 2023.
Details and entry form for this competition can be found here
2. A Youth poetry performance competition
Run by the Rotary Club of Orange, this is a performance competition for school students to perform their own original poem. Entries close on Wednesday 15 February 2023 and the competition will be held at the Orange Regional Conservatorium on Saturday morning 25 February 2023.
Details and entry form for this competition can be found here
3. An Open performance competition for those poets who do not enter the National Championships.
To avoid confusion, poets cannot enter this open competition if they are in the National Championships. Run by the Rotary Club of Orange this competiton is for poets to perform their own original poem. Entries close on Wednesday 15 February 2023 and the competition will be held at the Orange Regional Conservatorium on the afternoon of Saturday 25 February 2023.
Details and entry form for this competition can be found here
4.The Deidre Penhall Memorial Poetry Prize 2023
This competition is for writing original poetry and is open to women aged 18 to 30 years on 31 December 2022 and residing within a 200 km radius of Orange, NSW and west of Penrith, NSW.
- Entries close at 5 pm on Wednesday 21 December 2022.
- A presentation ceremony will be held at an event in the Banjo Paterson Australian Poetry Festival on Saturday evening 25 February 2023 at which winners will be invited to read their poems.
Details and entry form for this competition can be found here
5. The Blackened Billy Verse Competition
The 33rd annual verse writing competition encourages writers to showcase rhyme and metre with literary mastery, to uphold the technical forms of the bush poetry genre. Entries close on 30 November 2022 and the presentation of winners will be made at the Duntry League Guesthouse, Orange on Wednesday afternoon 22 February 2023.
Details and entry form for this competition can be found at https://blackenedbillyversecompetition.com