Poetry lovers pitch in to help revive student award

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Poetry lovers are pitching in to help foster the writers of tomorrow after a competition for high schools was cancelled due to lack of funding.

Victoria University's International Institute of Modern Letters is crowdfunding via Boosted to revive the National Schools Poetry Award.

Creative New Zealand is stumping up with half the money needed.

Institute director Professor Damien Wilkins said the competition was about much more than a winning poem. He said teachers used it as a way of getting students excited about poetry and their own writing.

Professor Wilkins said he would love it if a corporate sponsor picked up the cause.

The crowdfunding site said $2250 -- or 12 per cent of the $18,000 target -- had already been raised.