Creative Australia pushes first National Poet Laureate announcement to early 2027

The appointment, first flagged for November, carries an $80,000 annual honorarium over a three-year term.

By The Book Source5 November 20261 minute read

Creative Australia has delayed naming Australia's first National Poet Laureate. Its program page now says the announcement will come later than the November timing it had given, and that it is working towards an announcement early next year. No date has been set.

Applications for the role opened on 3 February 2026 and closed on 17 March. Stage 2 of the selection process, made up of conversational interviews, was scheduled for June.

The laureate will serve a three-year term and receive an honorarium of $80,000 a year, plus travel support.

Writing Australia, the literature body within Creative Australia, had flagged in January that the call for the inaugural laureate would open soon. The selection process has now run past its original timetable.

Original source: Creative Australia ↗

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