Mr Eggleton, who has won a range of previous awards, is one of four finalists in the poetry category for his collection The Conch Trumpet.
Poetry category judges' convener Elizabeth Caffin said Mr Eggleton was ‘‘a passionate and prolific poet and performer''.
‘‘Eggleton is remarkable for the range of his topics, his language and his emotions,'' she said.
‘‘He turns from vivid images of the New Zealand landscape, to glimpses of the history of Canterbury, to sounding out a Pasifika poetics and crafting savage satire on the contemporary culture of coffee and computer.
‘‘His acute ear and sense of his audience never wavers as all this is presented in energetic and engaging chant and song.''
Mr Eggleton, who is part Polynesian, grew up between Fiji and New Zealand. His previous awards include PEN Best First Book of Poetry, the Robert Burns Fellowship and, uniquely among New Zealand poets, London Time Out's Street Entertainer of the Year award.
He has been five-times Book Reviewer of the Year in the Montana New Zealand Book Awards and has also produced several documentaries, CDs and short films.
The winners will be announced at a ceremony on the opening night of the Auckland Writer's Festival at the Aotea Centre on May 10.
