The idea of having your name in a book that you can proudly share with all your family and friends is exciting, to say the least. You can imagine your poem in the gilded pages of some beautiful anthology – and free poetry contests promise just that, and a lot more. I’m sure you’ve seen the emails stating, “Win $25,000” or “Your Poem Could Win”. Just as many websites have banners that scream the same slogan.
I have a great friend that recently fell into the “Free Poetry Scam”. Don’t get me wrong – he’s a fantastic writer, but he was lured in by the flashing dollar signs and the promise of publication. So if he’s a great writer, when his work was chosen, how is that a scam? Simple – anyone can be published in some of these publications… if they’re willing to pay for the dubious honor of being chosen.
The Free Poetry Contest Scam
Before I go on, let me state this: Not all free poetry contests are scams. Some are quite reputable. However, it’s important to read the fine print and do some research before trusting your much-loved verse to a site that claims unbelievable prizes.
So let’s name a name here, which I rarely do but the amount of complaints against this site and company are growing – literally – by the day because they’re so simply dishonest. Poetry.com offers daily prizes and an ongoing round of “anthologies” which promise to award one lucky poet a hefty sum of money. It costs nothing to enter your poetry, and they claim to carefully judge your work…
Here’s where the scam comes into play. Without fail (and, seriously, you can test this out yourself by submitting the worst piece of poetry you’ve ever written), you will receive a letter in the mail that states your poem (yes, the piece of crap that you used to test the theory) was a brilliant piece of art and that you are selected to receive a prize – which you must attend a convention in Washington to actually receive.
Right, so that’s not even the worst of the scam. With most legit publications, when your work is published, you will at least receive a copy of the book it’s been printed in – at no cost to you. It’s your “payment” for being included in the publication. With sites like Poetry.com, however, you have to shell out the $30 some bucks for the anthology, and if you want your bio listed in the book, that is an extra charge. Want to have a certificate that shows you were published by them? Pay more. The list goes on … and the worst part is, if you don’t go ahead and order that book, there’s no guarantee your work will be published in it after all.
Many “free” poetry contests work in just the same way. They promise to select a winner to receive a large sum of money, but let me ask you this … where is that money coming from? Two other sites to avoid are Poetry for America and Amateur Poets of America. Perform just a little bit of research on these companies and you’ll find reams of complaints about their unethical practices.
Avoiding the Free Poetry Contest Scam
So you take your work seriously and don’t want to feel like a fool later on, or you wouldn’t have gotten this far in the article. The best way to avoid falling prey to a Free Poetry Contest Scam is to really look at the fine print. You should be able to find – easily – the following things before you ever submit your work:
- Chances of Publication: How many people submit work versus how many poems are published? The higher your chances of being published (sad as this sounds), the more likely the contest is a scam.
- Pay for Publication: Do you have to purchase anything in order to see your work published? If you have to buy the book or your poem won’t really be included (and by law they must tell you these things), you’re looking at a scam.
- Previous Winners: Most legit publishers will proudly display the names and often the actual pieces that winning contestants have entered. If you can find this information, read the poetry closely. Does it look like a $25,000 poem to you? One of the biggest complaints authors have had with these contests is that after they purchase the book, their labored-over poem is sandwiched between extremely mediocre pieces that make them ashamed to be included in the anthology.
- Extras: Again, most legit publishers will give “extras” to the published poets at no cost. These extras include a bio, or at least a byline that includes some basic information about the poet. If you’re going to be nickle-and-dimed for every single piece of seeing your work published, wouldn’t you be better off going the route of a vanity publisher and avoid the hard feelings of having been taken in?
Legit poetry contests award prize money that has been earned from the entry and/or reading fees that poets have submitted. They aren’t going to tell authors that they must pay money to have their poem – which is fantastic, we really must have it! – included in an anthology. And they’re usually happy to award a free copy of the anthology to poets whose work is published in them – instead of the “special low price” reserved just for the authors who have already submitted money for every other piece of receiving the honor of being in their book.
Legitimate Poetry Contests
As I said before, not all contests are a scam. It’s just unfortunate that many of the “free” ones are – they don’t end up being free, they end up costing you more than what it would have taken to go through a Print-On-Demand publisher in the first place. Yeah, so I’ve kind of beaten that one to death but seriously, it irks me that there are people unscrupulous enough to prey on the needs of new writers.
So, want to find some legitimate poetry contests? Here’s a list that will get you started. Also never forget to rely on trusted resources like Writer’s Digest and Writers & Poets – they offer information that you can’t miss.
The Walt Whitman Award
The Walt Whitman Award brings first-book publication, a cash prize of $5,000, and a one-month residency at the Vermont Studio Center to an American who has never before published a book of poetry. The winning manuscript, chosen by an eminent poet, is published by Louisiana State University Press. The Academy purchases copies of the book for distribution to its members.
The award was established in 1975 to encourage the work of emerging poets and to enable the publication of a poet’s first book. Submissions are accepted each year from September 15 to November 15, and an entry form and fee are required.
For guidelines and an entry form, visit http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/121
Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize
In 1994, the Academy was selected by the New Hope Foundation to administer the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize in conjunction with The Nation magazine. Established in 1975, this $25,000 award recognizes the most outstanding book of poetry published in the United States in the previous year. Past recipients include Philip Levine, Sterling A. Brown, Adrienne Rich, Thom Gunn, W. S. Merwin, Marilyn Hacker, and Charles Wright. Submissions are accepted each year from April 1 to June 15.
The Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize honors the memory of Lenore Marshall (1897-1971), a poet, novelist, essayist, and political activist. She was the author of three novels, three books of poetry, a collection of short stories, and selections from her notebooks. Her work appeared in such distinguished literary magazines as The New Yorker, The Saturday Review, and Partisan Review. In 1956 she helped found the National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy, the citizens organization that lobbied successfully for passage of the 1963 partial nuclear test ban treaty.
An entry form is available at http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/117
James Laughlin Award
The James Laughlin Award is given to recognize and support a poet’s second book. It is the only second-book award for poetry in the United States. Offered since 1954, the award was endowed in 1995 by a gift to the Academy from the Drue Heinz Trust. It is named for the poet and publisher James Laughlin (1914-1997), who founded New Directions in 1936.
Only manuscripts already under contract with publishers are considered for the James Laughlin Award. The Academy awards the winning poet a cash prize of $5,000 and purchases copies of the book for distribution to its members.
Submissions are accepted each year from January 1 to May 15. An entry form, signed by the publisher, is required. To obtain the guidelines and an entry form for the James Laughlin Award, please follow the link below or send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to the Academy in January. Winners are announced in August.
Guidelines are available at http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/118 and an entry form is at http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/page.php/prmID/119
Margaret Reid Poetry Contest for Traditional Verse
Welcome to the third annual Margaret Reid Poetry Contest sponsored by Tom Howard Books. First prize is $1,000. A total of $3,500 in prizes will be awarded (up from $2,000 in 2005). Winning entries will be published. Entries accepted November 15-June 30.
Poetry in traditional verse forms are accepted. Your entry should be your own original work. You may submit the same poem simultaneously to this contest and to others, and you may submit poems that have been published or won prizes elsewhere, as long as you own the anthology and online publication rights.
Full Guidelines are available at http://www.winningwriters.com/contests/margaret/ma_guidelines.php
The Foley Poetry Contest
America sponsors annually the Foley Poetry Award, given in honor of William T. Foley, M.D. The winning poem for 2005 is “The Oldest Lie” by John Hodgen. To read previous winners of this contest, please consult past issues of America published during the first or second week of June.
Each contestant is asked to submit only one poem of 30 lines or fewer for consideration. No poems will be returned. Only typed, unpublished poems not under consideration elsewhere will be considered. The winning poem will be announced on this Web page in early June and published in America. The cash prize will be $1,000. Deadline: Poems must must arrive at the address below between January 1 and April 18, 2006. The envelope containing the poem for consideration of this award must have “The Foley Poetry Contest” clearly indicated. E-mailed submissions are not accepted. Each year about 1,000 poems are submitted.
Full Guidelines are available at http://www.americamagazine.org/poetry.cfm
Reference:
- Literary Contest Caution – Provides a listing of poetry and fiction contests which may be a scam, and which you might be careful about submitting to – windpub.com/literary.scams/Poetry Contest Scams and Rip-Offs – Provides information, including an article on the 20/20 expose` on the National Library of Poetry (Poetry.com) – windpub.com/literary.scams/ripoffs.htmWarning Signs of a Bad Poetry Contest – 13 very helpful hints that you might consider before submitting your poetry to a contest – www.winningwriters.com/contests/avoid/av_signs.php
