Poetry Set To Take Centre Stage: Registrations Now Open For Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day 2025

Friday 22 August 2025 is set to be a day where words take flight and poetry pulses through the streets, libraries, parks, bookshops, and unexpected corners of Aotearoa. Now in its 28th year, Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day invites communities nationwide to create, share, and celebrate the power of poetry. Registrations and seed funding applications are now officially open.

Event organisers throughout the motu are invited to begin imagining creative ways to bring people together through poetry events, from open mic nights and school initiatives to public displays, live performances, or small, contemplative gatherings. "We’re inviting you to craft something memorable for your community this August. Whether it’s quietly powerful or joyfully bold, traditional or completely unexpected, we’re excited to see what you create" says National Coordinator Gill Hughes.

“Poetry is the heartbeat of our language, a constant, accessible rhythm that belongs to everyone,” says Robin McDonnell, CEO of Phantom Billstickers. “We are dedicated to amplifying that rhythm, through our ongoing series of poems on posters and our support of National Poetry Day - ensuring it pulses throughout our communities. We believe in its power to resonate in the open, to bridge gaps between individuals, and to breathe unexpected beauty into the everyday moments we often overlook.”

With over 100 events expected to take place nationwide, Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day 2025 promises another extraordinary showcase of creativity, diversity, and community spirit.

Organisers wishing to apply for seed funding are encouraged to do so early, with applications closing at 5pm on Tuesday 3 June 2025. All the resources needed to plan and promote an event – including registration forms, funding guidelines, and helpful templates – are available now on the National Poetry Day website.

The official 2025 event calendar will be published on Thursday 31 July, building excitement for a nationwide celebration where poetry takes centre stage.

For more information, visit www.poetryday.co.nz or contact poetryday@nzbookawards.org.nz. ends

Notes

National Poetry Day was established in 1997 with a mandate to celebrate discovery, diversity, community and pushing boundaries. It is a one-day nationwide poetry event extravaganza held annually on a Friday in late August.

Phantom Billstickers has been assisting New Zealanders to express themselves since 1982. From the very beginning they’ve supported home-grown talent alongside their commercial campaign work, actively promoting New Zealand music, art, poetry and culture through a network that now numbers 6500 framed street posters countrywide.

The New Zealand Book Awards Trust Te Ohu Tiaki i Te Rau Hiringa was established as a charitable trust in 2014 to govern and manage the country’s two major literary awards – The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards and the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults – as well as Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day, and to ensure their longevity and credibility.

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