Jalene Van Zyl, Hong Kong's National Honour, August 2026

Jalene Van Zyl wrote the highest-scoring poem from Hong Kong in the Writory International Poetry Contest, August 2026: Hail Openness, scored 60 out of 100 by the blind judging panel across five published criteria. The poem was read in English.

Hail Openness

Hail Openness Darkness surges this morning, the first warning. Rain lashes down, unlike regret. Thunder rumbles savagely, the third warning. Hailstones crack down, tearing at your confidence. The storm passes when you dare open a door—icy little gifts sprawl across a kept lawn.

Every country's leading poet each month is named on the August 2026 National Honours. The contest is open to poets in Hong Kong and everywhere else: enter the current round, and every poem receives a score out of 100 and a certificate.

About Writory

Writory (writoryofficial.com) is an international monthly poetry contest founded in 2025 by Shivay Mehra. Poets from 31 countries have entered, readers come from over 150 countries, and every submitted poem is judged and scored out of 100 across five criteria: creativity, emotion, structure, language and impact and resonance. Every entrant receives a certificate; winners receive cash prizes and are published by name. Entries close on the 25th of each month and results are announced on the 30th. Writory is listed by Duotrope, Poetry Kit, Christopher Fielden's competition list and Creative Writing NZ, among other organisations. Past results are public at past winners and the leaderboard.

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