The purpose of this contest is a result of something I have learned in life. Give what you have received to someone else....sort of a pass-it-on idea. There have been so many on here that have helped me (more than they know) with their kind words, constructive criticism, and excellent suggestions, even a little bit of therapy. I can't confidently say that my writing has actually improved, but I have become more comfortable in it. So I would like someone fairly new or brand new (doesn't really matter) to receive the same, and hopefully develop their skills and confidence in their work.
*Here are the requirements of this contest
.You must be a fairly new writer. There is no exact on this, no particular years writing, or amount of trophies. If you feel you are a new writer and would like to grow, then enter.
.You must be able to receive, understand, and APPRECIATE constructive criticism.
*Here are the rules of the contest
.Only one entry per poet.
.Only poems, form or free verse, 30 lines max.
.No erotic, political or religious subjects.
.No cussing, chatspeak, or illegible writing. Poems should be grammatically correct and all words spelled correctly (use spell check).
.This is not a requirement, but will be noticed by me, if not all the judges......Please comment on a few others in the contest. This is supposed to be a chance to show your love of writing, not just a chance to be the best. To love writing, you have to love reading too.
.You must choose to incorporate one or more of the following subject matters into your entry:
A. DARK
B. ABSTRACT
C. METAPHORS
.You must use something as inspiration. I know it is sometimes hard to just pound something out of your head, so go get inspired! A few ideas are a favorite book, poem, piece of art, a friend you admire, or maybe the love of your life.
.You must specify in your author's comments or in a comment on this contest both the subject matter you chose and what you were inspired by. Your author's comment should look something like this:
I chose A. DARK, and I was inspired by Dean Koontz's book "Strangers".
Contest Prizes (Judges, read this well!):
The winners will be chosen based on the talent seen hidden in their writing, their overall attitude and involvement in the contest, and, of course, their entry.
First Place- The winner will be given a 3 month silver membership to AP, 300 points, and a gold trophy.
Second Place- 150 points and a silver trophy.
Third Place- 100 points and a bronze trophy.
Fourth - Tenth- 50 points
I want to thank those who applauded my post about the contest and also Danna Hobart for her donation. The contest will be ended after 50 entries, unless we decide to end it sooner.
Judges:
I'll be sure to send an IM to you when the contest is ready to be judged. I think we will be judging on a point system. Unless you have a better idea, let me know!!
Update:
I'm extending the contest a little bit so I can do this on my day off. I apologize for not being here. Life sometimes takes over. So the contest will be closed for judging on Thursday (tomorrow). Here is how I would like everyone to judge this. Please pick three possible choices for each trophy. Tell me which three for which trophy...In other words, which three could win Gold, which three could win Silver, and which three could win Bronze. Then number them, 1 being your favorite, 3 being your least favorite. You can use an entry more than once if you especially like it. (In other words, list your favorite entry in each three spaces for Gold). However, don't list them for more than one trophy, that will make things confusing. If you have any questions, feel free to let me know. Please IM me with your results after the contest closes for judging. Many hugs and thank yous for your patience and attention to the contest.
JUDGES!!! I accidentally deleted the following poem from the contest. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU INCLUDE IT IN YOUR JUDGING. I will reopen the contest for a brief moment so he can readd it. Thank you.
allpoetry.com/Poem/1314795
Also, when you are done and have sent your top choices to me, please come back here and edit the contest to include your own final notes. This is optional, but would be nice to read. Thanks!
Dark Lullaby's final notes:
I was saddened by the amount of entries I had to remove. However, I would like to say, those remaining did an excellent job. I am having a hard time concentrating, so I apologize if my comments were not to your liking. As soon as everyone is finished judging, points, the silver membership, and the honorables will go out. Many thanks to my judges and everyone who did such a lovely job here. No matter what, KEEP WRITING. It is the window to so much more than pen and paper.
DarkRain's Final Notes:
I would like to echo Dark Lullaby's comment about the entries for this contest. I was most impressed with quite a few of them and I see a great amount of potential here. To the ones of you who don't place in this contest, please do not give up! This is only one chance to put your work and your souls on display. Keep writing and growing. There are many contests to be won! Thank you all again for such wonderful examples of your work.
Sanity's Final Notes:
I again would like to echo the words already said, but would like to add that if you didn't place in this contest, it isn't because your work was no good... On the contrary, all your work was of a high standard to start with and those who were suggested with changes, the majority have changed them.. You all have potential to become even better poets, we none of us ever stop learning...... Thank you all again for the chance to judge such fine entries...........
Thathom's Notes:
I had a poo today, but yeah, what everyone else said. I'm not commenting on them all, just the ones I think are worthy of a comment.
Final notes from NeverGiveUp:
I hope I didn't miss anyone's poem, and if I did I apologize- please IM me and I'll make up for it. Each time I got a system message saying there was a new entry, I'd click on the link, read the poem and comment. Once the contest closed for judging, I came back to see if people corrected errors I pointed out, or made changes according to suggestions (not mandatory but it's nice to see you're receptive to constructive criticism).
A lot of you I wouldn't consider "new poets" for various reasons and all of those are GOOD reasons- you seem to know exactly how to put things to affect the reader. It's great you want to continue to improve, but rest assured you're already great writers. I made a list of 11 of you who fall into this category. I will be sending all of you points.
For those who I made suggestions to and they corrected them, you were also on a list- I believe I made a list of 7 of you. You will also be receiving points. I feel it's only right to reward those of you who are very receptive to critiques. That's why my votes were cast for the ones who had errors (however minor) and fixed them.
I will somehow post a list (perhaps a collection featured on my author's page) of all 18 of you so people can see your wonderful work. If you see yourself on this list and don't get points, feel free to remind me.
It truly was a pleasure to read all these wonderful pieces- it reassures me that the poetic world is not crumbling, but instead may be saved by amateurs willing to work to earn their applause!
Tangerine PUddle.....
Just wanted to comment on what a great job everyone did.....truly excellent to see so much effort put forth. I want to thank you for including me in your judges....it was a real honor.
*Here are the requirements of this contest
.You must be a fairly new writer. There is no exact on this, no particular years writing, or amount of trophies. If you feel you are a new writer and would like to grow, then enter.
.You must be able to receive, understand, and APPRECIATE constructive criticism.
*Here are the rules of the contest
.Only one entry per poet.
.Only poems, form or free verse, 30 lines max.
.No erotic, political or religious subjects.
.No cussing, chatspeak, or illegible writing. Poems should be grammatically correct and all words spelled correctly (use spell check).
.This is not a requirement, but will be noticed by me, if not all the judges......Please comment on a few others in the contest. This is supposed to be a chance to show your love of writing, not just a chance to be the best. To love writing, you have to love reading too.
.You must choose to incorporate one or more of the following subject matters into your entry:
A. DARK
B. ABSTRACT
C. METAPHORS
.You must use something as inspiration. I know it is sometimes hard to just pound something out of your head, so go get inspired! A few ideas are a favorite book, poem, piece of art, a friend you admire, or maybe the love of your life.
.You must specify in your author's comments or in a comment on this contest both the subject matter you chose and what you were inspired by. Your author's comment should look something like this:
I chose A. DARK, and I was inspired by Dean Koontz's book "Strangers".
Contest Prizes (Judges, read this well!):
The winners will be chosen based on the talent seen hidden in their writing, their overall attitude and involvement in the contest, and, of course, their entry.
First Place- The winner will be given a 3 month silver membership to AP, 300 points, and a gold trophy.
Second Place- 150 points and a silver trophy.
Third Place- 100 points and a bronze trophy.
Fourth - Tenth- 50 points
I want to thank those who applauded my post about the contest and also Danna Hobart for her donation. The contest will be ended after 50 entries, unless we decide to end it sooner.
Judges:
I'll be sure to send an IM to you when the contest is ready to be judged. I think we will be judging on a point system. Unless you have a better idea, let me know!!
Update:
I'm extending the contest a little bit so I can do this on my day off. I apologize for not being here. Life sometimes takes over. So the contest will be closed for judging on Thursday (tomorrow). Here is how I would like everyone to judge this. Please pick three possible choices for each trophy. Tell me which three for which trophy...In other words, which three could win Gold, which three could win Silver, and which three could win Bronze. Then number them, 1 being your favorite, 3 being your least favorite. You can use an entry more than once if you especially like it. (In other words, list your favorite entry in each three spaces for Gold). However, don't list them for more than one trophy, that will make things confusing. If you have any questions, feel free to let me know. Please IM me with your results after the contest closes for judging. Many hugs and thank yous for your patience and attention to the contest.
JUDGES!!! I accidentally deleted the following poem from the contest. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU INCLUDE IT IN YOUR JUDGING. I will reopen the contest for a brief moment so he can readd it. Thank you.
allpoetry.com/Poem/1314795
Also, when you are done and have sent your top choices to me, please come back here and edit the contest to include your own final notes. This is optional, but would be nice to read. Thanks!
Dark Lullaby's final notes:
I was saddened by the amount of entries I had to remove. However, I would like to say, those remaining did an excellent job. I am having a hard time concentrating, so I apologize if my comments were not to your liking. As soon as everyone is finished judging, points, the silver membership, and the honorables will go out. Many thanks to my judges and everyone who did such a lovely job here. No matter what, KEEP WRITING. It is the window to so much more than pen and paper.
DarkRain's Final Notes:
I would like to echo Dark Lullaby's comment about the entries for this contest. I was most impressed with quite a few of them and I see a great amount of potential here. To the ones of you who don't place in this contest, please do not give up! This is only one chance to put your work and your souls on display. Keep writing and growing. There are many contests to be won! Thank you all again for such wonderful examples of your work.
Sanity's Final Notes:
I again would like to echo the words already said, but would like to add that if you didn't place in this contest, it isn't because your work was no good... On the contrary, all your work was of a high standard to start with and those who were suggested with changes, the majority have changed them.. You all have potential to become even better poets, we none of us ever stop learning...... Thank you all again for the chance to judge such fine entries...........
Thathom's Notes:
I had a poo today, but yeah, what everyone else said. I'm not commenting on them all, just the ones I think are worthy of a comment.
Final notes from NeverGiveUp:
I hope I didn't miss anyone's poem, and if I did I apologize- please IM me and I'll make up for it. Each time I got a system message saying there was a new entry, I'd click on the link, read the poem and comment. Once the contest closed for judging, I came back to see if people corrected errors I pointed out, or made changes according to suggestions (not mandatory but it's nice to see you're receptive to constructive criticism).
A lot of you I wouldn't consider "new poets" for various reasons and all of those are GOOD reasons- you seem to know exactly how to put things to affect the reader. It's great you want to continue to improve, but rest assured you're already great writers. I made a list of 11 of you who fall into this category. I will be sending all of you points.
For those who I made suggestions to and they corrected them, you were also on a list- I believe I made a list of 7 of you. You will also be receiving points. I feel it's only right to reward those of you who are very receptive to critiques. That's why my votes were cast for the ones who had errors (however minor) and fixed them.
I will somehow post a list (perhaps a collection featured on my author's page) of all 18 of you so people can see your wonderful work. If you see yourself on this list and don't get points, feel free to remind me.
It truly was a pleasure to read all these wonderful pieces- it reassures me that the poetic world is not crumbling, but instead may be saved by amateurs willing to work to earn their applause!
Tangerine PUddle.....
Just wanted to comment on what a great job everyone did.....truly excellent to see so much effort put forth. I want to thank you for including me in your judges....it was a real honor.
Contest is Over
- Contest was judged on June 21, 2005
- Rewards: Gold: 300
- Final notes: We are missing a poem. I'm guessing they removed it from the contest? I didn't write down the contestant's name, only the poem. So unfortunately, this person will not receive their fifty points for tying at fourth.
This was probably my favorite contest that I have run so far. I loved to see so many of you really putting an effort forward, writing an excellent poem, getting involved in the critiques, and following up in the contest. I have asked NeverGiveUp to pick and make a list of some honorable mentions, which she will be doing soon. I am now posting the winners and giving out points to those who came in the top ten through the judge's voting. I upped the points too. But anyways, I wanted to tell everyone that I appreciated their entries. They were truly ALL wonderful (after the deletions I had to make). So, here are the final top ten. Congratulations!
1. Ever-Dream by Forgotten Bliss. (Congrats, you get the silver membership!)
2. Tasteless by jboucles
3. Forbidden Fantasies by Bleeding Innocence
Tied at fourth are:
4. Depression by highlander babe
4. Thoughts While Sitting by Someones-Nobody
4. Dark Bells by Captivated Maiden
5. Cold Soul by AranC
6. Lizzard's Beach by monkeypimp
7. Celestial Taboo by lavendar shadows
8. Untitled. by akitesfearofheights
9. A Message to the Sea by y la rivera
10. Darkness Risen by xFalconx
Thanks for making this an awesome contest to judge, everyone!
Entries [8]
1 - 8 of 8
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Her tears dropped like pearls on floor
As she stood, beneath that sapphire bed• Commented on by judge. -
The wings of change• Commented on by judge.
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Your grip is getting looser.
Looser until your fingerprints indent on the fibre glass nailsby akitesfearofheights 18 lines, 26 comments, on Jun 14 12:19 AM 2005. In Dark• Commented on by judge. -
To watch your eyes avoid my being creates a body spasm which I have come to defeat with clandestine relieves.• Commented on by judge.
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• Commented on by judge.
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each drop of abigious air seemed to hang for a moment
befor it flug itself with utmost desireby monkeypimp 21 lines, 9 comments, on Jun 15 9:01 PM 2005. In Other• Commented on by judge.
Add a comment
Comments
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A wonderful idea! The best way to grow for a writer, is through constructive criticism. You are offering it with valuable rewards as well. I hope you get some nice entries and that the contest is a great success.
-Sau. -
This is a kick ass contest (not just saying this now) I like how your giving people the chance to feel better about their writing. um I would like to enter but I have been a member of allpoetry for 6 months
so I'm kinda old I guess!
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My Dear Bleeding Innocence, you may have been on here for 6 months, but that doesn't mean that you're an old hat at this poetry thing. I've been on here for over a year and I still consider myself as a beginner. Enter if you wish. if you don't, however, I would love to read what you write.
Blessed be,
Kate. -
I do too...I may have been here, but I still need LOTS of work
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Oh don't we all?
I'm sure even the most well-known, most applauded, and most read Poets on here feel that they need to better themselves. Isn't that why we're on here to begin with?
Blessed be,
Kate. -
Crud! Thanks for noticing that!!!
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Thank you, fixed now. Hope you'll enter.
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Hehehehehe
We all do it from time to time.
Great contest idea!!! -
Well, Poet LollyPot, we can only hope you enter. It looks like you're a real beginner.
Blessed be,
Kate. -
I have only been a member for a month and only really started writing about 6 months ago although I did do a little when I was younger.... I would love to enter this... I will have to see what time I have between my exams and college.... hope to be able to write something..
kate
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Well, Miss Kate (teehee), I would love for you to enter. I started writing a little over a year ago, right when I came here. Don't worry if you think you're bad, it takes time for a Poet to grow and mature...poetry-wise at least. I wish you the best of luck and I hope you'll enter our contest.
Blessed be,
The OTHER Kate.
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everyone is too good in this contest! They don't need improvement they are perfect! *is intimidated* but I'll see what I can do, thanks for saying I can enter.
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Nobody is perfect... we ALL need to keep improving... don't be intimidated, please! Please enter!
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Good luck with your contest
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Well not sure if I can come up with something like the others, trying my hand at entering contests to help myself in my writings....don't know if my brain will be able to get something down in time, will try....great idea.
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Sounds Like Fun!
I would try to enter this...But I don't think I could do it. -
Sure you could! Just write something, anything, and try your best. That's all we ask
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This is a brilliant idea and I think you're wonderful for doing it
SHari
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Thank you
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Great idea for a contest, i think i'll come back tomorrow and join this, send me a link if you can, and i'll enter it, crackertl82
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I just got my wings yester day and Iam kind of lost,I would like to post a poem but I am at loss as to what and how to go about entering your contest...PLEASE HELP ME IAM NEEDY.......UG HELP...
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Entering a contest is quite simple. Here, you just click the 'Enter this contest' button and type in your poem. Of course, you aren't guarenteed a win, but you can at least try. This contest is specifically for the "newbs" of AP, the new people we'd love to meet. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we would love to read what you have for us. I'm going to IM you in a second with a few useful links.
Blessed be,
Kate -
Great contest!
Through my readings, I've noticed that a lot of people (including myself) used the a,b,c,b rhyme scheme. I find it really hilarious that the "newbies" often choose this scheme!
Anyhow, great contest! Good luck judging this, it looks like that should prove challenging! -
I think that's the most popular rhyme scheme with the 'newbs' these days. But of course, how would I know? I almost never rhyme.
Challenging? Of course! Thank you, lavender shadows, for your comment and support.
pssst are any of the other judges here????
<3 Kate
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Nope
I have gone out to look for myself. If I should return before I get back, keep me here!
Edited on Jun 14, 4:58 p.m. because ''. -
Okay. I'm going to start looking at all the Poems and ... are we using a point scale still? is confused
<3 Kate
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To be honest, I am not sure how we are going about making our picks for places. I am assuming that we will all pick our top three and then Dark Lullaby will make the final call.
Honestly though, I don't know!
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It's really funny how the dominant rhyme scheme varies from time to time. Sometimes, it seems like lots of the flow of new poetry is in abab scheme, but this often sounds forced, as does aabb.
I've found that the use of this rhyme scheme has really improved the overall flow in the contest because the reader is not caught up by overly forced rhymes.
Anyhow, that's just my opinion on the matter! lol
(...I've got to get back to reading the entries! Bye!) -
Sounds like a good idea Better get judging then!
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I still use that rhyme scheme sometimes, though my most recent I tried some abcb and then abab.
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I've been reading and commenting on poems each time I get a message someone entered- I have a few more messages to go through since last night though. Give me some time to do critiques, and I'll send a list of whose poems I like best and why. I will say right now the poems I will favor are ones that either had no spelling or grammatical errors, or ones that fixed the errors I pointed out (hint, hint entrants!)
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That shows a trademark of an experienced writer, to have enough confidence in one's writing ability to be able to change the rhyme scheme within a poem. That's really interesting.
I think that one of these days I'll attempt to do writing exercises to improve my poetry skills and that I will vary the rhyme scheme a bit within it. Thank you very much for giving me that idea!
Good luck judging to all the judges, this should be quite interesting!
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Some may say experienced, others call it inconsistency. Hey, I get bored with the same old stuff I hate being cliched!
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In my opinion, that's not inconsistency at all!
It's great that you don't like being cliched, that makes your poetry stand out.
(...will stop message here to prevent clicheness on my behalf! lol) -
In my opinion, that's not inconsistency at all!
It's great that you don't like being cliched, that makes your poetry stand out.
(...will stop message here to prevent clicheness on my behalf! lol) -
A final good luck to all contestants! The entries were all so good that I think that it shall be quite difficult for the judges. So good luck to the judges as well!
~lavender shadows~ -
I don't like the voting system suggested but I will do whats required. Its just too confusing but I think I understand. I will IM my results...
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I sent in my "votes" and plan on coming back to add final notes of my own probably later tonight or tomorrow. I will be handing out generous points to those who made my lists (that I will explain later). it was a lot of work judging and rejudging but I hope it was of some benefit to budding poets!
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OK I added my final notes and I'm going to work on posting those lists and sending points
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Thank you to all the judges for the forth place and points and congrats to everyone else who placed as well. Take care and God bless.
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lol... When I was looking down the list to see if my name was on there I felt like I was back in middle school waiting for the volleyball team results....
Wonderful contests, thanks for letting all of us participate! -
Well I apologize for not posting my list but I will soon, on my author page though... people will be able to click on a collection list and see if their poem made it. I will also be handing out points
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Congrats to the winners All of you were spectacular.
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I commented on the ones I liked and congratulations to the overall agreed winners.. blah blah blah blah ect go away.
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LOL thanks for leaving comments, I'm sure the authors appreciated it!
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