1st Weekly Poetry Contest

Welcome to our first weekly poetry contest. Do you have a poem you've been burning to share? Share it here! Each week's contest will have a winner of the $50 prize and the winner will also be considered for possible inclusion in an annual printed anthology (if included in the anthology, no free or discounted copy will be provided).

The winner will be chosen based upon the number of ratings the poem has received, the average rating, and our editorial judgment of the poem's beauty, musicality, emotional resonance, and originality of expression. User ratings will be the most important factor, particularly if there are a large number of entrants, though we reserve the right to exercise our editorial judgment.

Any type of poem is welcome! Formal or informal, long or short, rhyme or free verse. We like all kinds of poems and are looking for poetry that has both impact and reads aloud well.  We highly recommend that you read your poem aloud to yourself several times before submitting, both as a way of proofreading and as a way of fine-tuning the rhythm and musicality of your work. This does not mean that we're looking for spoken word poetry, though that is welcome as well.

Rules
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1. Any length.
2. Any theme.
3. You must be a registered user of this site to post (registration is free).
4. By posting you certify that this is your own work, you hold the copyright, and you are granting us permission to show it on our site and in a possible yearly printed anthology.
5. Prior publication is okay! Please credit the prior publication beneath the poem, in italics.
6. Posting on social media or other sites is okay!
7. Non-English poems are welcome as long as you have an English translation beneath it.
8. Winners will be announced within three days of the contest end. For example, if the contest ends on Sunday, the winner will be announced by Wednesday.
9. Payments will be made only via Paypal, sent to your registered email address.
10. No feedback will be provided if your poem did not get chosen.
11. If your poem did not get chosen in a given week, you are welcome to resubmit it in a subsequent week. 

Thank you for participating! We look forward to reading your work.