Free International Poetry Contest - Young Writers Ages 9 to 21 from Every Country (DL January 31th, 2014)

FREE INTERNATIONAL POETRY CONTEST

Open to Young Writers Ages 9 to 21 from Every Country

Opens August 30, 2013

The online entry and submission form will be available starting August 30th. Please do not email your poem. You must use the online form to enter.

Contest Closes January 31, 2014

Finalists Announced April 25, 2014

Winners Announced May 24, 2014

AGE CATEGORIES

Please use your age on January 31, 2014 to determine your category.

Category I Ages 18 – 21*

First place poet will be published on this website, receive a signed copy of Polly Wants to Be a Writer: The Junior Authors Guide to Writing and Getting Published by Laura Michelle Thomas and a certificate of achievement. Second to third place poets will be mentioned on this website and receive a $10 Amazon gift card and a certificate of achievement. Fourth through sixth place poets will be mentioned on this website and receive a certificate of achievement. See rules below. *You can be no more than 21 years old on January 31, 2014.

Category 2 Ages 15 – 17

Category 3 Ages 12 – 14

Category 4 Ages 9 – 11

2013 International Junior Authors Poetry Contest Rules

Please read the rules and follow them carefully. If there is a tie for a prize, the winner will be the writer who did a better job following the rules.

Contest closes at midnight on January 31, 2014 (Pacific Standard Time)
It’s FREE to enter.
Feedback Option. If you wish to receive feedback on your story, you can have it for a small fee. You will see that option on the online form and you must pay for it in the LTC store. The cost is $10 Canadian. Feedback includes your score broken down into its component marks and suggestions for feedback, which will be emailed to you shortly after the winners are announced. If you do not purchase the feedback option, you will not find out your score.
Contest is open to anyone between 9 and 21 years old as of January 31, 2014. Proof of age may be required.
It does not matter where you call home. Entries from every country are welcome.
All subjects and all forms of poetry are welcome. Go crazy and have fun. But submit your best work and choose a form of poetry that suits your subject.
Your poem must be in English.
Maximum length is 50 lines. Poems longer than 50 lines will not be judged, no exceptions. Your title does not count toward your total number of lines.
One poem per writer only.
No images, illustrations or fancy fonts. Keep it easy to read. Not sure which font to use? Try Times New Roman 12 pt.
Include the following information at the top of the first page of your story:

Number of lines (not including your title)
Name
Age on January 31, 201
Email address
Mailing address
Phone number
TITLE

Privacy Note

Your contact information is only used for communicating contest information to you. After the winners are announced on May 25, 2014, your contact information will be deleted from our records. If you wish to stay in touch year-round, or find out about writing opportunities or submission calls, please sign up for the permanent mailing list (there is a sign up form at the top of this page on the right hand side).

HOW TO ENTER

Complete the online entry form and upload your poem in one of these file formats: doc, docx or pdf. If you try to upload your story in a different format, we will not be able to access the file and your story will not be entered in the contest. Once you upload your story, you will receive a welcome email from laura@laurathomascommunications.com within approximately one hour. Check your spam folder if you don’t see it in your inbox.

THE ONLINE ENTRY FORM WILL BE AVAILABLE ON AUGUST 30, 2013

Copyright. If your poem wins, you will keep the rights to it. We will ask you for permission to publish your poem on this website for others to enjoy and learn from. However, the poem remains your property and you are free to submit it elsewhere.

Judging. Each poem is judged on its literary merit as a poem including: form and structure; imagery and figures of speech; poetic devices and prosody; and unity.

Formatting. Your poem must be in doc, docx or pdf format or we will not be able to open it and process your entry.

If you have questions about the rules or entry form, please leave a polite comment below and Laura will respond as soon as she can with an answer.

SOMETHING TO ASPIRE TO… Choose a subject that you feel strongly about and then choose the poetic form that will best convey your thoughts and feelings to the reader. Use sound, imagery, figures of speech to amplify your theme and tone.

Monday, August 19, 2013