National Schools Poetry Award of 2025

The Victoria University of Wellington National Schools Poetry Awards of 2025 were held recently. Renowned New Zealand poet, Ruby Solly was appointed as judge, and she had the onerous task of sifting through a staggering 240 plus submissions from secondary students from around the country. From this number, ten finalists were to be chosen and out of these, one would be declared the winner while the others were to be runners-up. The announcement of the winner was met with great excitement as the recipient was OTHC’s Year 13 student Keiko Bruce with her entry “Guilt Tank”. Having already had a pre-written poem in her drafts, Keiko recounted how she impulsively submitted her piece late into the competition after being encouraged by her friends. She said she enters ‘rather spontaneously’ into activities that catch her eye and this one of those occasions. When asked how she felt on winning the award she said, “I felt astonished but elated nonetheless as my passion for poetry has played a vital role in my motivation for success. I felt very surprised but very proud.” Keiko’s friends, her mother, and Ms. Havens assisted in providing the necessary constructive criticism and feedback she wanted, supporting her throughout the challenging process and always cheering her on.

After graduation, she plans to pursue a career in medicine as a psychiatrist at the University of Auckland. Although she is not planning on becoming a full-time poet, Keiko plans to continue creating works of poetry, as a hobby.

KARRICE LIM - NEWS MEDIA TEAM