2012 Adult Poetry Contest Rules
Our mission is to support and encourage the creation of original poetry in Palm Beach County, Florida
PO Box 1434 Lake Worth FL 33460
contact@poetsofthepalmbeaches.com
2012 ADULT POETRY CONTEST ELIGIBILITY:
This contest is open to Poets of the Palm Beaches members only. You may join The Poets by submitting your membership dues along with your contest entry; however, you must maintain at least a part time residence in Palm Beach County to be eligible.
DEADLINE:
Postmark: 02/26/12. Please Note: If by the deadline, there are not enough entries to support the contest, it will be canceled and all entry fees returned.
CATEGORIES:
(1) Free Verse: No more than one poem per page in normal 12 point font. 40 line limit.
(2) Long Form. There are three forms to choose from:
a Shakespearean Sonnet, a Villanelle, or a Sestina.
No more than one poem per page in normal 12 point font.
(3) Short Form. There are three forms to choose from: a Haiku, a Cinquain, or a Tanka.
(see back for rules). No more than one page per poem in normal 12 point font.
PRIZES: First: $75. Second: $50. Third: $25. Honorable Mentions.
ENTRY FEE: $2 per poem, published or unpublished. Poems without fee will not be accepted or returned. Please submit all entries at the same time with one check for the total amount.
RULES: These rules apply to all categories. Entries must be typed, computer-generated or Xeroxed on one side of 8 1/2 X 11 paper, single or double-spaced. No artwork or fancy fonts. Send 2 copies of each poem. Only ONE poem per page. Each poem must have a TITLE. Show category (and name of form) on both copies, upper left. ON ONE COPY ONLY, upper right, show name, address, telephone number and e-mail. No identification on the second copy. Keep copies of your poems. None will be returned. There is a maximum of 10 poems per poet. Any poems which have previously won cash awards in our contest may not be submitted.
ENTRIES WILL BE DISQUALIFIED IF ALL RULES ARE NOT FOLLOWED PRECISELY
JUDGING: Judges unaffiliated with The Poets of the Palm Beaches will select the winners. Results will be announced and prizes awarded on Sunday, March 19, 2012 at our regularly scheduled Third Sunday Reading at the Friends (Quaker) Meeting House, 823 North A Street, Lake Worth, starting at 2PM.
CONTACT: Send entries, requests for rules and/or winners’ list (with SASE) to:
PO Box 1434, Lake Worth FL 33460.
MAKE ALL CHECKS TO: POETS OF THE PALM BEACHES
Form Information:
(1) Free Verse: Standard form
(2) Long Forms:
Rules for writing a Shakespearean Sonnet:
The form consists of fourteen lines structured as three quatrains and a couplet. The third quatrain generally introduces an unexpected sharp thematic or imagistic "turn" – the volta; or, the volta comes in the couplet, and usually summarizes the theme of the poem or introduces a fresh new look at the theme. The meter is iambic pentameter. The rhyme scheme is end-rhymed a-b-a-b, c-d-c-d, e-f-e-f, g-g.
Rules for writing a Villanelle:
It shall be of 19 lines - 5 stanzas of 3 lines, the 6th and final stanza to be 4 lines. Each line shall be of ten syllables. The rhyme scheme shall be ABA for the first 5 stanzas - with ABAA for the 6th. Certain lines are to be repeated, word for word: Line 1 shall recur in lines 6, 12 and 18. Line 3 shall recur in lines 9, 15 and 19.
Rules for writing a Sestina:
In a traditional Sestina the lines are grouped into six sestets (6lines per stanza) and a concluding tercet (3 lines). Thus a Sestina has 39 lines. Lines may be of any length, usually consistent in a single poem, but traditionally in hexameter (Six metric feet. Each foot is two syllables. Ex: return / ing to / conven / tional / iam / bic bliss). The six words that end each of the lines of the first stanza are repeated in a different order at the end of each of the subsequent five stanzas. The particular pattern is given below. The repeated words are unrhymed. The first line of each sestet, after the first, ends with the same word as the one that ended the last line of the sestet before it. In the closing tercet, each of the six words are used, with one in the middle of each line and one at the end. The pattern of word-repetition is as follows, where the words that end the lines of the first sestet are represented by the numbers
"1 2 3 4 5 6":
1 2 3 4 5 6 - End words of lines in first sestet.
6 1 5 2 4 3 - End words of lines in second sestet.
3 6 4 1 2 5 - End words of lines in third sestet.
5 3 2 6 1 4 - End words of lines in fourth sestet.
4 5 1 3 6 2 - End words of lines in fifth sestet.
2 4 6 5 3 1 - End words of lines in sixth sestet.
(6 2) (1 4) (5 3) - Middle and end words of lines in tercet.
(3) Short Forms:
Rules for writing a Haiku:
Haiku is best written in the present tense, and contains a seasonal word that implies the season rather than stating it outright. While some excellent three-line 5-7-5 haiku are being written today, it's not uncommon to read one, two, four and even five line haiku, all of which have fewer than the traditional seventeen syllable count. Brevity is essential, so the tighter you write, the better. The modern rule is NO MORE than 5, NO MORE than 7, NO MORE than 5. When writing haiku, set aside the usual poetic devices such as metaphor, alliteration, rhyme, etc.
Rules for writing a Cinquain:
5 lines. 1st line = 2 syllables, 2nd line = 4 syllables, 3rd line = 6 syllables, 4th line = 8 syllables, 5th line = 2 syllables.
Rules for writing a Tanka:
The Tanka is very similar to haiku but Tanka has more syllables and it uses simile, metaphor and personification. Tanks are written about nature, seasons, love, sadness and other strong emotions. A Tanka evokes a single moment with vivid precision and emotional veracity. There are five lines in a Tanka .
Line 1 – no more than 5 syllables
Line 2 – no more than 7 syllables
Line 3 – no more than 5 syllable
Line 4 – no more than 7 syllables
Line 5 – no more than 7 syllables