From the judges: Tricia Dearborn, Benjamin Dodds and Jane McCredie:

It’s been fascinating reading the entries for the Quantum Words 2018 Science Poetry Competition, run by Writing NSW in partnership with Australian Poetry. The poems took many forms, from rhyming couplets to free verse to concrete poems. They also covered a wide range of subject matter, from global warming to epithelial cells, from children’s explorations of the way the world works to the phenomenon of zoonosis. The poems we shortlisted were chosen because they are well written, interesting, and succeed on their own terms.

The judges have now made their selection, and the poems shortlisted for the Quantum Words 2018 Science Poetry Competition are (in alphabetical order):

      On searching for night parrots in western NSW – Lorne Johnson

      Powerpoint presentation on the flightless Dasyornis bracypterus (hairy bird; short wing) – Jack Oats

      The matrix – Jenny Blackford

      The numbers game – Eileen Chong

      Venn diagram – Helen Thurloe

The winners will be announced at the Quantum Words 2018 festival of science writing on Saturday 3 November. Winners will be notified ahead of time, and invited to read their poem during the festival.