Hey guys! So it's that time of night where I decide I want to do something crazy, and it just so happens that tonight I might follow through. I've been trying to get out of my comfort zone lately and really put myself out there, so I have found a couple poetry competitions that accept manuscripts. Winners get a cash prize as well as a publication deal. I know it's a long shot, but I thought why not give it a shot? I was wondering if anyone had any tips, or if anyone has ever tried doing something like this and what your experience was. I'm open to any sort of help 😅
Thank you!
Sophie ❤️
@TheWriteBrookeThanks so much for your response Brooke! I will definitely do some research on the previous winners
I've submitted poems before but never anything longer. Good luck!
As far as advice goes, I'm probably just going to be telling you what you might already know but...
- Polish up your poems before you submit (duh)
- Check to see what types of poems typically win those contests if you can (this doesn't mean you don't have a shot but if you submitted really short poems and all the winners from previous contests were much longer, the judges may have a preference for longer poems and that knowledge could help!)
- Don't let rejection ever stop you! ...A mistake that happens to me way too often lol
- Research the competition hosts (you wouldn't want to be scammed!)
There's a bunch of more obvious advice I could give but the fact that you want to get out of your comfort zone and give this a shot is a courageous thing!
I'm kind of echoing what Adam has said here but make sure you follow the rules, especially regarding word/line limits. If there's a theme, make sure the poem(s) follow that. I will say that if there's an entry fee, don't go overboard. As in: if it's £3 for one poem and £10 for fifteen poems. The £10 sounds like a great deal but if your poems aren't selected, it's a lot of money. (This is just my opinion, obviously).
While you're following the line limits, the theme, considering what poems have won previously, make sure you believe in the poems you've submitted. Perhaps consider asking a friend or someone here on the Cove to read it over and give feedback before you submit.
I have a spreadsheet with all the poems I've submitted to different contests/publications but that's more for me to cross reference if a poem is selected (so two publications aren't publishing it at the same time - though that's never happened to me yet lol). But I certainly don't look at it everyday. Every so often, I get an email about a competition or a publication and if I'm very lucky, I get to fill in my accepted spreadsheet! But on the whole, I push it to the back of my mind.
I wish you all the luck in the world, Sophie 😊
Don’t give them any reason to reject you. If the contest is being held by a reputable name, they receive a ridiculous amount of submissions. Don’t give them any reason to turn you away before they even start reading your work. Make sure it is formatted exactly how they request it! Read over their terms and conditions with a keen eye!
Also research which poems have won in previous years, and who’s on the judging panel. Look them up too to see if they’ve conducted interviews online, or if any of their poems are available to read anywhere. Then submit your poem based on that. Give yourself every chance at winning.
Then once you’ve submitted forget you had even done so. Don’t keep thinking it over and over. A trick I learned in my acting days to cope with the constant rejection was, walk into auditions thinking you’d already gotten the job, the job was to perform in that room there and then, and when you leave that was the day’s work finished and not to expect a call back. It is a rough world and a hardened skin is needed. Same can be said in the literary world too 😉✌️
With all that being said I wish you the best of luck 😊😊😊😊