Thursday, November 8, 2018

How To Find Top Poetry Contest Sites

By Stephen Burns


While poets do it for fun, honing your skills against those of others and making something out of it is not such a bad idea. There are numerous poetry contest sites you can explore. However, some of these websites will give you a raw deal and kill your writing career. You need a platform that allows you to thrive. How do you identify such a platform amidst the many that line the internet?

The website should be run by professionals who understand the world of poetry. The best professionals are literature departments, renowned poets and institutions interested in art. While individuals may also organize contests, they should have the support of institutions or gurus in the industry. This guarantees fairness and also ensures that you get the best experience from your creativity.

Choose a contest that has a reputation of fairness and reasonable prizes. Organizers require time to grow a reputation. With a reputation, it means that they are not newcomers in the industry. Other poets have gained confidence in their work. Referrals from past winners and participants as well as reviews will help you choose between different contests. It helps you avoid contests whose winners are predetermined.

What level of exposure will you be getting by entering the contest? The best organizers will engage you after shortlisting and beyond winning. The manner of engagement includes holding seminars and displaying your pieces during exhibitions or readings. Such exposure means that you take home more than the prize. Even when you do not win, your writing skills will improve.

The reward for participating in the competition should meet the standards set at the entry of the contest. It takes a lot of effort to complete poetry pieces. While money is desirable, it is only available to the best poets. The deal is spiced by being entered into exhibitions and your work being showcased. Whether you won or not, you become a better skilled writer and your fame spreads in poetry circles.

The winners of the contest must be genuine and publicly announced. You ascertain this by ensuring that entry or participation rules are clear. The judging criterion should be publicized so that participants can determine who is in and who is out. Judges should be impartial and provide everyone with an opportunity to win. There should also be different categories of participation, for example, beginners, intermediate and pros, among other, in order to give an opportunity to all.

Entry and participation rules must afford everyone an opportunity. This means a convenient mode of submitting your entries. The contest should also be publicized sufficiently to give a chance for everyone to participate. Enough time should be provided for submissions to reach the judging panel. Online submissions are recommended because they make it easy to get your piece to the panel even at the last minute.

Where there are proceeds from the competition, they must trickle down to the writers of these poems. Organizers may think of producing books or such other materials. Loyalties and collections from any sales made must be sent to writers. You should insist on being acknowledged as the author despite receiving your cash prize. This raises your profile as a poet and enables you to enjoy the rewards of your talent.




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