Our contest has yet to feature a selection in the genre of poetry, and we are growing anxious for a writer to submit that first winning poem. Below, we offer some suggestions to help you understand our aesthetic criteria:
- Avoid heavy abstraction. We prefer poems with strong imagistic qualities that help us see what you want to communicate.
- Avoid overly-personal writing. While you may choose any subject matter–personal or public–your poem should be rendered in such a way as to make that material meaningful to your audience as well as to yourself.
- Not every poem must tell a story, but your poem should leave us with the sense that we have encountered a complete unit of meaning rather than a list of impressions.
- Have a rationale for your line breaks, and be wary of novelty formats. Not all of us can be e.e. cummings, nor should we try.
- Avoid predictable, cliche, or corny endings. A disappointing ending can ruin an otherwise good poem.
- Do not use the comments area below for submissions. We’re serious. We will immediately delete submissions posted as comments.
5 responses so far ↓
MJW // July 4, 2008 at 2:50 am |
Cool contest.
Daydreambeliever // May 1, 2009 at 11:22 am |
Is the contest open to applicants in the UK or purely those within the US??
I want to knock your socks off…
whidbeystudents // May 1, 2009 at 6:58 pm |
Yes, it’s open internationally-we receive submissions from around the world. Good luck!
Asim Anwer Ansari // October 20, 2009 at 11:32 am |
Uptill when poems are submitted? What are the best topics e.g. life, love, hope etc selected mostly for the prize?
whidbeystudents // October 20, 2009 at 3:33 pm |
Poems may be submitted whenever the mailbox is open. For this month’s contest, there is no theme, although it varies month to month, from judge to judge.