2024 Open Your Mind Poetry Winners Announced

As part of MIFWA’s WA Mental Health Week celebrations, we announced the winners of our 2024 Open Your Mind Poetry Competition for people living with or caring for someone with mental health challenges.

Rod, Lorikeet winnerWinners were announced at our community event held in West Leederville on Friday 11 October 2024, with Jake Dennis taking home the First Place prize in the WA Wide entrance for his poem, Keys to Recovery and Rod Boyce (pictured) taking home First Place in the Lorikeet and MIFWA Member category for his poem The Chime Model.

The 2024 Open Your Mind Poetry Competition asked poets to respond to the theme ‘Keys to Recovery’. More than 55 poems were submitted. The winners were decided by renown Perth poet Leonard James, who has been judging the competition every year since 2021 and has judged for the WA Poets Creatrix Prize, along with Sonya Frossine.

This competition stands out as it openly embraces lived experience, inspires people to write poetry for positive mental wellbeing, and provides a platform to express personal experiences of recovery and the challenges they face.

MIFWA thanks all entrants and congratulates the winners. All poems submitted will be published in MIFWA’s annual Open Your Mind Poetry book.

The full list of winners

Lorikeet / MIFWA

  • First PlaceThe CHIME Model by Rod
  • Second PlaceI Dream These Things by Danny
  • Highly CommendedSong of Hope by Anita

WA Wide

  • First PlaceKeys to Recovery by Jake
  • Second PlaceSummer Visitant by Madeleine
  • Third PlaceClarity After Psychedelics by Michelle
  • Highly CommendedFixing the Light by Virginia
  • Highly CommendedCommanducatio by Misty

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