What you can submit

• Submit one poem only.
• The poem may have a title.
• The poem can respond to the Festival theme of Ear to the ground, but it does not need to explain the theme directly.
• Again, this is indicative. The topic is open-themed, you can write about anything.
• Only text can be accepted at this stage.
• Images, graphics, video, sound and animated material cannot be included.

Screen format

• The title must be no more than 28 characters, including spaces.
• The poem may be no more than 12 displayed lines, including blank lines.
• For best display across all screens, keep each poem line to 35 characters or fewer, including spaces.
• Lines over 35 characters may wrap on the Yagan Square Digital Tower. Each wrapped line counts as an additional displayed line, reducing the number of lines available within the 12-line limit.
• Lines over 55 characters may not display safely on the wider screens and may be cropped, wrapped awkwardly, or rejected for screen-format non-compliance.
• Please do not use tabs, indentation, columns, concrete-poetry spacing or layouts that rely on exact page positioning.

Line breaks and layout

Please paste your poem with the line breaks exactly as you want them to appear.

• Do not use tabs.
• Do not use indentation.
• Do not use columns.
• Do not rely on concrete-poetry spacing or exact page positioning.
• Do not stretch lines across the full width of the page.

These layouts may work on paper, but they are unlikely to display clearly across public screens.

Writing for public screens

Selected poems may be seen by pedestrians, drivers, families, workers, visitors and people passing through the city for only a few seconds.

• Keep the poem brief and legible.
• Use language that can be read at a glance.
• Make sure the poem still works without explanation.
• Test the poem in the screen preview tool before submitting.

Public display suitability

Your poem must be suitable for G-rated public display in busy civic spaces.

It must not include explicit sexual content, nudity, graphic violence, coarse language, drug references, hate or vilification, unsafe instructions, traffic-related directions, advertising, campaigning, partisan political messaging, or material intended primarily to promote a cause rather than present a poem.

Originality and AI use

• The poem must be your own original work, or work that you have the right to submit.
• AI tools must not have been used in any part of the creative process or writing of the poem.
• You must have the necessary rights to allow WA Poets Inc to display and share the poem for this project.

Permissions

By submitting, you agree that the poem may be shown on public screens connected to Perth Poetry Festival 2026, including Northbridge Piazza, Yagan Square Digital Tower, Forrest Place and related public projections or festival platforms.

You also agree that WA Poets Inc and Perth Poetry Festival may use the poem for project documentation, reporting, archival purposes, website use and social media connected to the festival.

Selection and screening

• Submitting a poem does not guarantee selection.
• Exact screening locations, dates and times may vary.
• No fee will be paid for this submission or any display of the poem.
• Originality, public-display suitability and screen-format compliance are selection considerations.
• Non-compliance may be grounds for rejection.

Before you submit

• Test your poem in the screen preview tool.
• Check the title length.
• Check each line length.
• Check the total number of displayed lines.
• Make sure the poem reads clearly in a public space, at a glance.