Here are the rules for The York Poetry Prize 2021.
Organiser: YorkMix, in association with York Literature Festival.
1. This is an open competition for poets aged 16 or over. Poems may be on any subject, and must be in English*. Entries will be accepted from any country.
2. Poems must be the entrant’s original work and not previously published in a collection or anthology, newspaper or poetry magazine. Work that has been posted in a closed poetry group online, or a personal blog online are eligible. Poems that have been broadcast on radio or podcasted online are not allowed.
3. Poems must not exceed 40 lines of text [excluding title and footnotes], with a maximum word-count of 500 words. Poems must show the title and poem only. The poet’s name must not appear on the work. [Take care not to include your name or initials in the Header, Footer or filename of your poem.] Poems may not be amended or edited after submission.
4. All entries will be presented to the judge anonymously. The judge will read all entries. [This is a distinct feature of our event since we started; many other poetry competitions sift entries before presenting only a selection to their judge.]
5. Poems must be submitted via the official form on the entry page. Attachments must be in one of the following formats: Word (.doc or .docx), Text, Simpletext, TextEdit, Pages or PDF. Postal entries are not encouraged, but will be allowed in special circumstances, and only from UK addresses. See note below.
6. Payment is online via PayPal. To pay by PayPal you do not need a PayPal account. All major credit and debit cards are accepted. Just follow the instructions on the entry form.
7. Poets may enter as many poems as they wish.
In response to feedback from YorkMix readers, we have pegged our single-poem entry fee at last year’s rate, £7.50. The 2021 entry fee is:
- £7.50 for a single poem;
- £12 for two poems;
- £15 for three poems;
- £20 for four poems;
- £25 for five or more poems (up to a limit of 10)
There is no limit to the number of separate entries that can be submitted.
To enter more than ten poems, you will need to make a separate submission.
8. Prizes:
- First prize is £500
- Second proze: £150;
- Third prize: £75;
- Fourth prize £50.
The International Prize (£50), will go to the best poem from a non-UK entrant. If a non-UK entrant is the overall winner, runner-up or third-placed entry, the International Prize will be awarded to the next best non-UK entry.
The Helen Cadbury Prize of £50 will be awarded to an excellent poem from an entrant with a York (YO) postcode. If a YO-postcode entrant wins one of the top cash prizes, the prize will be awarded to the next best YO-postcode entry.
Certificates will be awarded to Commended and Highly Commended poems.
No poet may win more than one cash prize, but can receive more than one Commended certificate.
9. Acknowledgement of entries: When your entry payment is complete, PayPal will assign a transaction number to the payment; receipt of a transaction number is your official confirmation of entry.
On pressing ‘Submit’, please allow a few moments to be directed to the PayPal website. Once your payment is processed, to view your confirmation of entry, click on the ‘Return to Merchant’ link on the PayPal page. That will return you to a page where you can scroll down to see confirmation of entry.
10. Closing date: Deadline is midnight on Sunday, 4 July, 2021.
11. Copyright in submitted poems remains with the author. Shortlisted poems will be featured fee-free on YorkMix.com (and on a separate website devoted solely to the competition and its history, to be launched soon by YorkMix), and the website of York Literature Festival.
12. Winning or commended poems may not be published elsewhere before August 1, 2021, without the permission of the organisers.
13. Winners will receive payment by PayPal (or cheque, if requested).
14. The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
15. Entrants agree to have their email address added to the York Literature Festival and YorkMix.com mailing lists, but can unsubscribe at any time.
16. A shortlist of poem titles will be published at the end of July. Shortlisted authors will be contacted by email and invited to send in video of themselves reading their shortlisted poem(s).
These videos will be used to create an online awards event to be published on YorkMix.com in mid-August.
17. Any queries and the organisers’ response may be posted on YorkMix if deemed helpful to other entrants.
18. Entry implies acceptance of all rules.
19. The organisers reserve the right to change the prize structure or amend or update these rules at any time.
POSTAL ENTRIES:
Postal entries add significantly to processing time and costs and are not encouraged. However, at the discretion of the organisers, entrants who encounter significant problems with the online entry or payment procedure will be allowed a postal entry.
If you need to make a postal entry, first write to the organisers by email to: [email protected] with the words York Poetry Prize in the Subject header. There is a minimum entry fee of £25 for cheque payments (covering up to a ten-poem entry). No postal entry will be accepted after June 28, 2021.
COVID19 Hardship: If you are experiencing financial hardship as a result of Covid 19 and lockdown, and would like a single-poem entry free of charge, please write to the Organiser at: [email protected] for entry details.
*Poems should be in English, but are allowed to contain occasional words, phrases or quotations in non-English languages. [Brief explanatory footnotes are allowed, and are not included in the line-count of the poem]