The Tom Howard Poetry Contest for all styles & genres 

The Margaret Reid Poetry Prize for Traditional Verse

This page provides information on 

The Tom Howard Poetry Contest 

for all styles and genres

and

The Margaret Reid Poetry Prize 

for Traditional Verse

SAILING IN THE MIST OF TIME is our fourth and very latest Anthology of Prize-Winning Poetry. Containing over 100 winning entries from both the Margaret Reid and Tom Howard Poetry Contests, this beautiful book normally costs only $16.50! That in itself is a bargain, but in a special promotion, Amazon and other bookstores currently have this large-format, 194-page book on sale at only $9.95! The book is also available direct from the publisher for $16.50: http://www.lulu.com/filmindex

As noted above, the trade edition is now on sale in bookstores throughout the U.S.A., Canada and Great Britain. 

For a complete list of the contents of this expanded edition, please click this link: http://poetrycontests.exactpages.com/sailing.htm

Absolute-must reading for all competition contestants! A new edition of my famous handbook "WRITE WAYS TO WIN WRITING CONTESTS: How to Join the Winners' Circle for Short Story Awards, Poetry Prizes, etc." is now available direct from Lulu at http://www.lulu.com/filmindex 

Price is $14.80 for this edition. The normal trade edition is also now available. Buy from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other bookstores. Same price. You can click on the Amazon link below. What's $14.80 compared to increasing your chances of carrying off that $2,000 in cash First Prize?

 

5th Annual Margaret Reid Prize for Traditional Verse

The 5th annual Margaret Reid Poetry Prize for Traditional Verse is now open. A total of $5,250 will be awarded in prize-money for traditional verse as follows: 

First Prize: $2,000. Second: $1,000. Third: $500. Fourth: $250. Plus five High Distinction Awards of $200 each. Plus five Highly Commended Awards of $100 each. Fourteen cash awards in all, including that First Prize of $2,000.

Grand total: $5,250.

Song of the Wayward Wind is now on sale at Amazon and leading booksellers and also direct from the publisher at http://www.lulu.com/filmindex

What is "traditional" verse? Obviously popular 19th century forms such as sonnets, odes, ballads, etc. are "traditional". But so are popular 20th century genres such as "free verse" (Christopher Smart wrote free verse way back in 1763), and "haiku" (a 16th century Japanese form that has recently become extremely popular in the West). 

Entry fee: $6 for every 25 lines (or part thereof). Blank lines and titles are not counted.

VERY FEW RESTRICTIONS 

Send as many poems as you like. No restrictions on length or subject matter. Poems must be your original work, but previously published poems and poems that have won prizes in other contests are welcome. "Traditional Verse" is loosely defined, and includes free verse, haiku and just about all other popular forms except prose poems. A good rule of thumb is that your entries should look like poetry (or like any of the 106 winning and commended poems published in "SAILING IN THE MIST OF TIME").   

Entry forms are not necessary, but by entering this contest you agree to abide by all its conditions. Decisions by the chief judge are final. 

You retain all rights and are completely free to accept or decline our offer of print publication for winning and selected poems in the next edition of our printed anthology. This book will be similar in quality, size and format to SAILING IN THE MIST OF TIME, featured above. As said, winners are under no obligation to accept this offer of free publication. However, you must agree to publication of your winning entry on the Winning Writers website.

Entries must be postmarked on or before June 30, 2008, or lodged online before midnight, June 30, 2008, Pacific Time.

Postal submissions may be sent to Winning Writers, Attention Margaret Reid Contest, 351 Pleasant Street, PMB 222, Northampton MA 01060-3961, with U.S. cash, or checks (drawn on a USA bank) and money orders (payable in the USA) made payable to "Winning Writers". 

To repeat, the entry fee is $6 for every 25 lines or portion thereof. For a poem of 40 lines, for example, the fee is $12. If you submit more than one poem, you can add all the lines together. You don't have to pay for each poem individually. If you submit four poems and the total line count is 92, for example, the fee is $24. 

FORMAT: Basically, you can please yourself. We have no hard-and-fast rules. The choices (single spacing or double spacing, name on cover sheet or on every page, clips or staples, etc., etc.) are entirely up to you.

But please note that we cannot return entries. Always keep a copy. Nor can we retrieve an entry to make changes. If you feel the changes are important, you can always lodge an amended entry if you pay another fee. 

Any queries? Email johnreid@mail.qango.com

The Tom Howard Poetry Contest 

This Contest for poetry and verse in all styles and genres is now open. A total of $5,250 will be awarded in prize-money for this 6th Annual Contest.  The prize money will be distributed as follows: 

First Prize: $2,000. Second: $1,000. Third: $500. Fourth: $250. Plus five High Distinction Awards of $200 each. Plus five Highly Commended Awards of $100 each. Fourteen cash awards in all, including a First Prize of $2,000.

Grand total: $5,250.

In short, this Contest is a Premier Literary Competition for Original Creative Writing in Poetry or Verse in any Style and on any Theme. 

The 6th Contest will award US$5,250 in Cash Prizes.

Closing date: September 30, 2008

Entries may be submitted online at http://winningwriters.com/contests/tompoetry/tp_guidelines.php

Visit the above site for email, PayPal and snail mail options. 

Entry forms are not required for this Contest, however, by entering you agree to abide by the judge's decisions, and that those decisions are final. If you win a cash prize you agree to allow Winning Writers to publish your poem online. You will also be offered free publication in a printed anthology similar to SAILING IN THE MIST OF TIME, featured above. You are under no obligation to accept this offer of free print publication.

Although Prize Money for the 6th Contest in 2008 has been substantially increased, Entry Fees will remain at US$6 for every 25 lines (or part thereof).

There is no maximum limit on the number of lines (or number of entries) you may submit.

ALL TYPES AND GENRES OF POETRY ARE ACCEPTED

NO RESTRICTIONS ON PREVIOUS PUBLICATION

PRIZE-WINNERS FROM OTHER CONTESTS WELCOME

(SO LONG AS YOU HAVE RETAINED ONLINE PUBLICATION RIGHTS)

Please note that the entry fee of US$6 per 25 lines is calculated on the total number of lines. (Headings and spaces are not counted). If you submit two short poems, one of ten lines and one of 14 lines, the total fee is US$6. If, however, you submit two sonnets (14 lines each), the fee is US$12. If you submit one long poem of 180 lines, the fee is US$48. 

The prizes are pegged in U.S. dollars. Prizes will be paid in other currencies (if required) at equivalent rates of exchange.

The chief judge of all entries in the Contest is John Howard Reid. Associate judge is Professor D.C. Konrad.