All proceeds to two London Homeless Cold Weather Shelters
(And you know how much these are needed in this winter weather)
- Poems up to 40 lines.
- Single poems £2.50, 6 poems £10. You can pay by cheque (almost quaint now) or Paypal
- Closing date 14 February 2013
- Poetry must not be previously published.
- Judge: Anne Stevenson.
Prize: Pamphlet publication collection of winner's poems - 50 free copies plus a reading
The publisher is WardWood, an up and coming publisher.
Note that they are judung a pamphlet collection on the basis of a single poem, which I think is a daft idea.
4 comments:
Thanks for posting this and helping. I would only add that we don't judge a pamphlet competition based on one poem. We choose a competition winner on the strength of one poem and as part of their prize they work with me to complete their chapbook. It has worked very well so far and adds to the value of the prize. It wasn't my idea to offer chapbook publication based on one exceptionally strong poem but I was told judges of the calibre we have could choose a poem that would mean the poet would be able to work on a short collection.
Thanks for the input Adele and good luck with the competiton. Other pamphlet competitions ask for 10 or so poems.
Yes, we did compare to other competitions, but judging a pamphlet, rather than a poet, usually requires a higher entry fee. We wanted the competition to be open to as many people as possible, regardless of financial ability. It isn't a pamphlet competition in the same way other contests are, where entrants have their whole pamphlet judged - it's a competition that wins the chance to work on a pamphlet and have it published and well promoted.
The organiser, Ruth O'Callaghan, felt that if a person could write one poem of the right standard then they should be able to work with me over a period of time to produce a good pamphlet. This also adds value to the prize, as they get a full critique service and find out what it's like to work with an editor. In this way we can give a valuable prize, while giving all the money raised to the homeless by giving our time and work for free. It has worked so far and I would let the winner take as long as they need. The first two have produced good books in time for a November launch, with the first winner (Caroline Squire) going on to study for an MA with Jo Shapcott and Andrew Motion, and the second (Bob Cooper) producing a very successful chapbook.
Thanks for your comments, Adele. It gives an interesting insight into the thought process behind a competition.
Post a Comment