Young Australians are winning poetry slams and publishing books in their teens
Young Australian poets are winning major slams and publishing books while still in their teens.
Australian poets are breaking through in their teens and twenties. K.J.
Hayward was 16 when she performed at an open-mic in Ballarat. Within a year, she had co-won the 2023 Australian Poetry Slam, competing on stage at the Sydney Opera House.
K.J. Hayward published her debut collection, Puzzle, in 2024, weaving feminism and youth into slam poetry.
Solli Raphael won the same competition aged 12 in 2017 and has since published three books. Last year's champion, 23-year-old Arantza Garcia Ferrand, will release her poetic collage memoir, Cotton-Filled, about being queer and Peruvian in Australia next year.
Evelyn Araluen, a Goorie poet and editor, won the 2026 Victorian Prize for Literature worth $100,000 for The Rot, exploring settler colonialism and late-stage capitalism.
- 16
- Hayward's age at first slam
- Sydney Opera House
- Slam venue
- Puzzle
- Debut collection title
Why it mattersYoung writers are finding their voice through poetry slams and spoken word, turning early wins into published careers and literary recognition.
AustraliaAustralian poetry venues and publishers are backing young poets with prize money and book deals, creating a visible pathway from open-mic nights to serious literary achievement.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 10 d ago
