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Poetry Competition 2023 Rules

Poetry on Loan

West Midlands poetry competition

Rules

1. Entry to the competition is open to all residents of the West Midlands, and people who regularly work or study in the West Midlands.

2. Each entrant may make up to 3 entries. This is a total of 3 poems. 

3. Each entry must be a poem of no more than 20 lines, on the theme of  RefugeEntrants are encouraged to interpret this theme with imagination.

4. Each entry must have a title. Titles and blank lines between stanzas are not included in the line count.

5. Entries will be judged in two categories:
      Young people, aged 11-18 as at 1st September 2023
      Adults (19 or over)
      In addition, we have a Fresh Poet prize. If you have never had a poem published - in print or online - and have never won a prize in a poetry competition, then you are eligible for our Fresh Poet prize

6. All entries must be submitted through the contact form on the Poetry on Loan website (www.poetryonloan.org.uk). Each entry must give:
      the entrant’s name;
      the entrant’s date of birth, for the Young People’s category;
      the entrant's postcode;
      a contact email address
      a line saying Fresh Poet if you are eligible for the special Fresh Poet Prize. Please be honest about this; we will check!*
     
poem title

7. No postal entries will be accepted, and we regret that we are unable to provide confirmation that entries have been received.

8. By entering the competition, entrants agree to abide by these rules.

9. Judges will be appointed by Poetry on Loan. Their decision will be final, and no appeals will be considered. Poetry on Loan will not enter into any correspondence about or comment on individual entries.

10. Poetry on Loan reserves the right to amend these rules if it is deemed necessary to do so.

11. Entries must be submitted under the entrant’s real name.

12. Poetry on Loan cannot accept responsibility for any damage, loss, injury or disappointment suffered by any entrant.

13. The competition and rules are governed by English law and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

14. In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998, entrants’ details will be held on a secure database by Poetry on Loan and will not be released to any third party without entrants’ explicit and written consent.

15. Poems must be entirely the original work of the entrant. Entries must never have been published, self-published, published on any website or broadcast in any form nor currently entered in any other competition before 1st September 2023. The poem must not have won a prize in any previous competition.

16. The winners will be notified by 30th October 2023.

17. The prize for the adult winner will be a paid performance opportunity at a Poetry on Loan event. If this cannot be arranged before the end of December 2023, a commission will be offered or a cash prize of £75 will be awarded. The prize for the young people’s winner will be in the form of book tokens to the value of £25. The prize for the Fresh Poet will be a commission worth £50, in 2024.

18. The copyright of the winning and short-listed  poems remains with the authors. However, the winning and short-listed poets, by entering the competition, grant Poetry on Loan the right to publish in print and online and/or broadcast their poems for one year from 1st September 2023. Use of the poems elsewhere during this time is subject to permission from Poetry on Loan.

19. Details of the winners will be posted on the Poetry on Loan website.

20. The competition closes on 1st September 2023, and any entries received after this date will not be included in the judging process.

*Fresh poet eligibility: if you have posted a poem in a closed group, then this is fine; but if your poetry is available for a wider public to see, then you are not eligible. If you have had a poem shortlisted for a prize, that's fine, but if you have been named as one of the prizewinners, again you are not eligible.