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 competition must be organized or run by a team of professionals. The most trusted professionals are organizations interested in arts, departments of literature or veteran poets. Where a competition is organized by an individual, it should have the backing of a reputable organization or brand. Credible organizers assure you of fairness and that your pieces will be treated with the dignity they deserve. Participation enhances your writing skills.

Choose a site with a reputation of holding genuine contests. Reputation is built over time. You might have to look at their previous contests and reviews by other poets who have engaged the organizers. A website with a reputation for treating poets well will also give you a memorable experience. If the reputation is nasty, there is no way you are going to have a good experience with them.

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 given should meet a decent threshold. Some give rewards in form of money. The rewards given to others comes in the form of publishing deals, participation in exhibitions and meeting prominent poets, among other options. The reward given must be worth the effort you make to complete the piece. It must also not be below the money you register with, just in case you have been asked to register.

Publicizing winners and the criterion for choosing such winners must form part of the deal. The rules should be known so that people can have confidence in the selection process. Further, everyone should be given an opportunity to participate. This calls for such categories as amateurs, intermediate and pro writers. You also accommodate more people by having categories based on themes, age, education standards and such other factors. This gives all participants a fair chance.

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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