Frankie Kebbell, New Zealand's National Honour, August 2026
Frankie Kebbell wrote the highest-scoring poem from New Zealand in the Writory International Poetry Contest, August 2026: Admiration, scored 60 out of 100 by the blind judging panel across five published criteria. The poem was read in English.
Admiration
I want to lay in bed with you Draw patterns on your skin Watch sunlight dance upon your eyes Reflecting what’s within I’m captivated by your voice You need not raise it further I’d listen to you talk all day Decipher every murmur Your brain is my favourite part of you I know you fight it often Though when I need you to be there for me You’re strong, you’re still, you soften I know that I can’t have you So I keep it to myself I write to purge what’s in my chest Then slide the book back on the shelf
Every country's leading poet each month is named on the August 2026 National Honours. The contest is open to poets in New Zealand and everywhere else: enter the current round, and every poem receives a score out of 100 and a certificate.