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I write and enter poems into contests on this site so that I may learn and develop. I care little if I may win a shiny trophy, what matters to me is feedback.

I had always thought that a good contest host should provide feedback on the entries they receive, not just the ones they thought to be the 'best'.

There are those that argue that they get too many entries to comment on each one and still others that claim that they are incapable of providing effective critiques in any case, so why should they bother?

Two questions:

Why only provide feedback to those you think have the least amount of need for it?

and

How do you expect to gain the skill-set necessary to effectively analyse the writings of other people and of yourself unless you learn and practice critiquing methods?

A critique is not hard to do. A basic critique can look over the theme and overall structure of a write without needing to step into specific detail.

A comment of the nature of, "I enjoyed reading your poem and while I personally do not accept the message you tried to convey, I think that you structured your thoughts in a manner that expressed that message strongly."

Is a perfectly acceptable overview of a write and is the first step in a good critique.

The next motion would be to look at the way that the words were structured. Do they sound rhythmical? Do they 'jump' or 'stagger'?

And how do we do this?..We recite and express the way the recital sounded to us.

For example;

"This write seemed to start slowly and, like a rollercoaster ride, drag the reader up to the first exultant height at a measured pace before crashing them down and twisting them around into troughs and loop the loops as you explored the meanings of your theme. I felt uneasy around the third and fifth stanzas as it seemed that my carriage was about to jump and clatter of the tracks; the rhythm seemed jerky and unnatural around the third line of each.

But I stayed on board and for the most part I enjoyed the experience."

(Ensure, when using extended metaphors, you stay consistent)

Then finish with a 'summing up' paragraph, to make it all complete.

"As I said, I don't agree with the message you tried to convey, but I did think that for the most part you did it well. With a little work this could be greatly improved yet it was still a joy to read.

Thank you for sharing this with me."

Note that the above example is not technical in nature, yet it is helpful. It is not 'negative' but it is critical. Certainly, should you have a technical point to make, share your knowledge and experience, not aggressively in manner but suggestive and objective in tone.

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