Looking to win a poetry contest? With so many poetry contests available
both online and in poetry journals, you don’t have to look too hard to
find one that suits your writing style and your wallet. But before you
go entering contests, there are a few important tips considerations to
make.
With so many poetry contests available both online and in poetry
journals, you don’t have to look too hard to find one that suits your
writing style and your wallet. While some poetry contests are free to
enter, they may not have a great prize in return. On the other hand,
some poetry contests that charge you ten or fifteen dollars to enter do
not really offer you a lot in return. Spending fifteen dollars to win
one hundred when you are competing with hundreds or even thousands of
other writers is not a good gamble.
So when you find a contest that has both a tolerable entry fee and a
reasonable payoff, you can enter. You may need to look at several
contests before you decide on one that is right for you in terms of
style. It is important to read the work of previous winners online if
possible.
If the contest is sponsored by a university publication or a literary
journal, you should pick up a copy or two of this journal to see what
type of poetry appeals to the editors. Pay attention to the theme of
the issue as it could affect the kind of poetry you read for that
month. Try reading another theme to see if the style is similar even if
the subject matter has changed. Then when you find a place that seems
to publish work that is similar in style and tone to yours, check out
the guidelines.
This is probably the best thing you can do, besides have natural
talent, to win a poetry contest: follow the guidelines. It is not
impressive to editors or contest judges if you try to be unique by
straying from these rules. They are in place for a reason. Usually,
this reason is to make the job of the editors and judges easier. They
will be inundated with entries. If all the pages are uniform and the
type is big enough to read, their lives will be much less stressful. If
you are the one with the odd sized paper and blue font, you will make a
bad impression rather than a memorable one.
So stick to the guidelines about page size, usually a standard eight by
ten sheet of printer paper. Also use a font that is readable, at least
an eleven or twelve point in something like New Courier, Arial, or
Times New Roman. Also be sure that you follow guidelines about having
you name and contact information on the page. Some people want a copy
of your poem with no name on it so that judging is not biased by
previously published work.
Remember to note whether or not you can go over one page for your poem.
If they want you to stick to one page, this is not license to create
two columns of stanzas on one sheet of paper, nor is it appropriate to
shrink your type to a size that will fit a too-long poem on a single
page. If your poem is too long, pick another one to enter or find
another contest.
Finally, use the editor’s name in your cover letter and double check
spelling. Be professional rather than artistic in your presentation.
You can find a list of poetry contests to enter at http://www.poetrycontests.biz/
