Ros Spencer Poetry Contest 2024
A poetry contest from WA Poets Inc. (WAPoets) for original and unpublished* poems of up to 60 lines, of any theme, for an opportunity to be published in the anthology Brushstrokes 2024 and to win:
First Prize $1,001
Second Prize $499
Plus
2 x Highly Commended Awards
2 x Commended Awards
DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES IS MIDNIGHT, FRIDAY 21st JUNE 2024
All entries must be submitted using the submission tool below and as MS word or .rtf documents (NOT PDF).
ENTRY FEE
By entering the 2024 Ros Spencer Poetry Contest, the entrant agrees to the Terms and Conditions of Entry, which must be read in association with the Entry Form.
The Ros Spencer Poetry Prize is open to all poets and is subject to a fee of $10 for one entry, $20 for 2 entries, $25 for 3 entries and $30 for 4 entries. An entry consists of one original, unpublished* poem of no more than 60 lines.
GENERAL CONDITIONS
- *unpublished refers to poems that have NOT appeared in print or online as part of an electronic journal or poetry blog that specialises in publishing other people’s poetry.
- An independent judge will be responsible for judging entries and ranking selections for inclusion in the anthology Brushstrokes 2024.
- All entries will be judged anonymously (each poem will be allocated a unique reference number).
- The name of the judge will not be revealed to entrants until after judging is complete.
- The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
- Entry fees are non-refundable.
- No entry will be considered for judging until payment has been received.
- Prizes do not include accommodation or travel costs.
- A maximum of four poems by one poet can be submitted for judging.
- Entries must be formatted using 12 point Times New Roman font with single line spacing and not exceed 60 lines in length.
- Please DO NOT include any names, material or cover page that could identify you as the author in the submission document/s. Kindly verify your submission documents for this before uploading. Submission/s will be disqualified if you compromise this.
- An open theme applies to this contest.
- All entries must be submitted using the submission tool below and as word or .rtf documents by midnight (Perth, W.A. time) on Friday, 21 June 2024.
- Multiple entries can be submitted in one submission but each entry must be submitted as a separate MS word attachment.
- Entrants must not infringe on existing copyright.
- In submitting an entry, the contestant agrees that WAPoets is not responsible for any infringement on copyright that may occur and indemnifies WAPoets against any legal action that may arise because of such breach.
- Each entrant can win one prize only.
- Entrants will be notified of the prizewinners by email.
SPECIAL CONDITIONS
- WAPoets accepts no responsibility for entries that are late, lost or misdirected, nor is WAPoets responsible in any way for entries that are stolen or misappropriated.
- Prizes will be awarded at a special presentation as part of the 2024 Perth Poetry Festival on Thursday 22 August at the State Library of WA Theatre in Perth, Western Australia.
- Prizewinners will be invited to read their winning entry on stage at this event.
- All prizewinners agree to have their winning entry posted online at http://wapoets.com/.
SPECIAL CONDITIONS RELATED TO THE ANTHOLOGY
- Selected entries will be published, without payment or other compensation (other than a considerable discount when purchasing copies of the anthology), in the anthology Brushstrokes 2024, to be sold as a fundraiser for WAPoets and launched, at a time and place to be determined, as part of the Perth Poetry Festival.
- All contest entrants will be eligible for a considerable discount when purchasing copies of the anthology.
- Poets have the option of opting their entry out of consideration for inclusion in the anthology Brushstrokes 2024 without prejudice.
- Entries for publication will be accepted “as is” or “subject to editorial review” in consultation between the judge and entrant. Entrants will have the opportunity to consent or reject suggested editorial changes.
- The judge will have the final say on which poems are included in the anthology Brushstrokes 2024 at their discretion.
- Wherever a work is republished, Brushstrokes 2024 must be cited as the place of first publication.
- Copyright of entries remains with the poet.
- Copyright of the anthology remains with the publisher, WA Poets Publishing
Creatrix by WA Poets Inc. (WAPoets) is one of our most successful and longest-running online magazines.
We are for original and unpublished* poems preferred of up to 60 lines, of any theme, and HAIKU poetry for an opportunity to be published in our quarterly online magazine and to win our annual Creatrix prizes and also a chance to be published in the Creatrix anthology book released once every 3 years.
Submissions for poetry are only accepted from financial WA Poets Inc members.
To become a member click here.
Submissions for haiku are open to all persons interested in haiku (please read the guidelines below before submitting).
Submission Closing Dates
Deadlines for submissions is midnight (Perth, Western Australia time) on the following dates:
- 10th February for the March issue
- 10th May for the June issue
- 10th August for the September issue
- 10th November for the December issue
Disclaimer
WA Poets Inc and Creatrix do not assume liability for copyright infringement or failure to acknowledge previously published work. Rights revert to the author upon publication. WA Poets Inc and Creatrix reserve the right to post any accepted work on its web page or in print form.
Copyright of material in Creatrix remains with individual contributors and cannot be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission from the authors. Copyright of the anthology remains with the publisher, WA Poets Publishing.
Creatrix Poetry Submission Guidelines
We are looking for good quality, well-crafted poetry; there is no guarantee that submitted poems will be accepted.
Failure to adhere to the guidelines will result in your submission being rejected.
- We accept a maximum of TWO unpublished and original poems per poet (unpublished refers to poems that have NOT appeared in print or online as part of an electronic journal or poetry blog that specialises in publishing other people’s poetry).
- Each poem must be submitted as a separate Microsoft Word OR pdf document attachment.
- Theme is open. (no theme)
- A maximum of 60 lines, though less is preferred.
- Entries must be formatted using 12-point Times New Roman font.
- Line spacing for submissions to be single-spaced.
- Each submitted poem must have a title (at the top).
- Please DO NOT include any names, material or cover page that could identify you as the author in the submission document/s. Kindly verify the submission documents for this before uploading. Submission/s will be disqualified if you compromise this.
Currently, we cannot pay contributors, but your poetry will be showcased.
Selectors: for poetry are by invitation from the following; Peter Jeffery OAM, Anne Dyson, Sue Clennell, Chris Palazzolo, Veronica Lake, Chris Arnold, Flora Smith, Jan Napier and Mike Greenacre.
Submissions Manager: Jaya Penelope
Founding members of Creatrix Online Poetry Journal: Peter Jeffery, Andrew Burke, Maureen Sexton, Veronica Lake and Jeremy Balius.
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Creatrix Haiku and Senryu Submission Guidelines
Haiku selectors: Rose van Son, Coral Carter, Barry Sanbrook and Gary De Piazzi.
To avoid disappointment, please follow the submission guidelines.
Failure to adhere to the guidelines may result in your submission being rejected.
Haiku and Senryu Submission Guidelines
- Publication submissions are accepted from all persons interested in writing haiku and senryu.
- Submissions of up to EIGHT haiku/senryu per person are accepted for each issue.
- All haiku and senryu must be unpublished and the author’s original work (unpublished refers to haiku that have NOT appeared in print or online as part of an electronic journal or poetry blog that specialises in publishing other people’s haiku).
- All Haiku poems up to a maximum of eight (8) can be submitted as in one Microsoft Word OR PDF document attachment.
- Entries must be formatted using 12-point Times New Roman font.
- Line spacing for submissions to be single-spaced.
- Please DO NOT include any names, material or cover page that could identify you as the author in the submission document/s. Kindly verify the submission documents for this before uploading. Submission/s will be disqualified if you compromise this.
Elements of an Acceptable Haiku and Senryu
- Brevity is the key in haiku. Around 12 syllables or less is ideal, but we accept up to 17 syllables. Every word should have an impact, unnecessary words should be removed.
- Three lines are the most common setting in the English language haiku but we will also consider 1, 2 and 4-line haiku.
- Preferably does not use poetic tools like intentional end rhyme, overt similes or metaphors, clichés, etc. Nor do haiku use capital letters, except for proper nouns. Don’t try to be ‘clever’ or ‘abstract’. Keep it simple and straightforward.
- Captures a moment in time, a powerful image, therefore must be written in present tense.
- Preferably infers an awe or a reverence of nature and uses a nature reference, however, we also accept senryu. Senryu emphasize human foibles and may be humorous.
- Relates to the senses.
- Haiku ideally have two parts, usually as a fragment and a phrase. These two parts are usually presented as two juxtaposed images that have a connection that may give the reader an ‘aha’ moment. Haiku can be written as a single image haiku as well, but you still need two parts to the haiku, or a pause (cutting or kireji) after either the first or second line. Even a run on sentence can be acceptable if there is a natural pause when reading the haiku.
Checklist
Here is a checklist of questions to assist with revising/editing haiku.
- Read it aloud several times.
- Can you clearly hear the two parts of the haiku – the fragment and the phrase?
- Is it written in present tense?
- Does it capture a moment in time? Is it a powerful image?
- Could any words be substituted for better ones? Every word should have an impact!
- Can others understand the haiku?
- Has rewriting the haiku in other ways been tried e.g. have you tried reversing the ‘fragment’ and ‘the phrase’?
- Have you removed unnecessary articles (‘a’ and ‘the’)? Do not remove articles just to make the haiku shorter.
- Have you removed poetic tools like intentional end rhyme, overt similes or metaphors, clichés, etc?
- Does the haiku capture the moment of inspiration? Can others get the moment of inspiration – the ‘aha’ moment?
We are looking for the ‘aha’ factor.
For more information on how to write haiku and senyru and what the editors are looking for, go to the Haiku Information section below.
Founding members of Creatrix Online Haiku Journal: Maureen Sexton, John Bird and Nicholas Barwell.
Haiku Information: Read more on our website: wapoets.com/creatrix
Visit our Poetry d'Amour webpage to know all about this Contest and prizes.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF ENTRY
The 2024 Poetry d’Amour Love Poetry Contest is part of 2024 Poetry d’Amour and is coordinated by WA Poets Inc. (WAPoets) at their discretion.
General Conditions
- *unpublished refers to poems that have NOT appeared in print or online as part of an electronic journal or poetry blog that specialises in publishing other people’s poetry.
- An independent judge will be responsible for judging entries and ranking selections for inclusion in the anthology Poetry d’Amour 2024.
- All entries will be judged anonymously (each poem will be allocated a unique reference number).
- The name of the judge will not be revealed to entrants until after judging is complete.
- The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
- Entry fees are non-refundable.
- No entry will be considered for judging until after payment has been received.
- Prizes do not include accommodation or travel costs.
- A maximum of four poems by one poet can be submitted for judging.
- Entries must be formatted using 12-point Times New Roman font with single line spacing, not exceed 40 lines in length in A4 format with left and right margins not less than 1.25 inches (3.17 cm) and suit the theme of “love.”
- All entries must be submitted using the submission tool below and as Word documents by midnight (Perth, Western Australia) on Friday, 24th May 2024.
- Multiple entries can be submitted in one submission
- Entrants must not infringe on existing copyright.
- In submitting an entry the contestant agrees that WAPoets is not responsible for any infringement on copyright that may occur and indemnifies WAPoets against any legal action that may arise because of such breach.
- Each entrant can win one prize only.
- Entrants will be notified of the prizewinners by email.
- WAPoets accepts no responsibility for entries that are late, lost or misdirected, nor is WAPoets responsible in any way for entries that are stolen or misappropriated.
- Prizes will be awarded at the launch of the anthology Poetry d’Amour 2024 as part of 2024 Perth Poetry Festival on Thursday 22 August at the State Library of WA Theatre. All prize winners will be invited to read their winning entry on stage.
- Non-cash prizes cannot be redeemed for cash.
- All prize winners agree to have their winning entry posted online on the WA Poets Inc website.
Special Conditions Related to the Anthology
- Selected entries will be published, without payment, in the anthology Poetry d’Amour 2024, to be sold as a fundraiser for WA Poets Inc.
- Contest entrants will be eligible for a considerable discount when purchasing copies of the anthology.
- Poets have the option of opting their poem/s out of consideration for selection for the anthology Poetry d’Amour 2024 without prejudice.
- Entries for publication will be accepted “as is” or “subject to editorial review” in consultation with the entrant.
- Poets will have the opportunity to consent to suggested editorial changes or withdraw their poem/s at their discretion.
- Wherever a work is republished, Poetry d’Amour 2024 must be cited as the place of first publication.
- Copyright of entries remains with the poet.
- Copyright of the anthology remains with the publisher, WA Poets Publishing.