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.
Cool contest.
Is the contest open to applicants in the UK or purely those within the US??
I want to knock your socks off…
Yes, it’s open internationally-we receive submissions from around the world. Good luck!
Uptill when poems are submitted? What are the best topics e.g. life, love, hope etc selected mostly for the prize?
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.
Is children’s (including rhyming) poetry acceptable?
Yes. Our program offers a Childrens/Young Adult MFA, so children’s rhyming poetry is fair game. FYI, the contest mailbox is currently closed, but will reopen February 1. Good luck!
Where do we put in the personal details? What about the writing itself? Do we attach it as a file or paste it in the body of the e-mail?
The submissions for June are now closed. Check back July 1.
For contest rules, click here: http://whidbeystudents.com/student-choice-contest/student-choice-contest-rules/
hi could you tell me how to enter this compitition and the end date for entries