SFPA New Poets Contest: The Art of Poetry

Art: Medea

I am excited to announce that our poetry contest for new poets has gone live.  I've been working with the Science Fiction Poetry Association, as a member, to create an art-inspired poetry contest.  We are hoping to raise awareness about the society among new poets, as well as continue to see new people invest themselves in this genre.  I've put the entirety of the guidelines below in this post, for completeness, but here is the short version.

The contest is offering small cash prizes (10$ or less) as well as SFPA membership or books of speculative poetry to the three top poems submitted.  Poets who have three or fewer paid poetry publications are eligible.  The contest is being run on the SFPA Forum, and you must register to even SEE the contest topic which is SPFA New Poets Contest: The Art of Poetry.  It is also password protected.  This is to protect the poets and their poems, and to keep down any possible spam.

As I said, the poetry must be related to art.  The SFPA has chosen five works of art, and linked to them under the topic on the forum.  (I've also posted them below, and show one of them Medea, here.)  The poem(s) submitted must be inspired, however loosely, by one of these five works of art.  Some are classics, like Vermeer's The Astronomer, and The Hunt of the Unicorn tapestry.  But there is also modern space art from Don Davis.  The SFPA is a speculative poetry society, so poetry themes must follow science-fiction, horror, fantasy, straight science, or have some speculative aspect.

I would greatly appreciate it if you would spread the word.  Our deadline is June 30, 2010, so there is plenty of time to view the art, write a poem or two, and get them in!

Pax

Image Credit: De Morgan Medea, Public Domain Image from Wikimedia Commons


Forum rules
Contest Guidelines – SFPA New Poets Contest: The Art of Poetry

The Science Fiction Poetry Association (SFPA) is holding a poetry contest with art as its inspiration! The contest is offering cash prizes and there are no fees to enter. New poets are invited to contribute. Non-members as well as members are eligible. Please read the complete rules below for theme, submission specifics, etc. Then write 'em up and send 'em in! 

PRIZES: 
First prize: $10, a one year SFPA membership, and publication on SFPA's web site
Second prize: $8, a copy of Cinema Spec: Tales of Hollywood and Fantasy, and publication on SFPA's web site
Third prize: $7, a copy of Dwarf Stars 2009, and publication on SFPA's web site 

We plan to archive the winning poems indefinitely, but authors may request removal from the web site after six months. SFPA reserves the right to grant all, some, or none of the prizes, at its discretion.

WHO MAY ENTER: 
The contest is open to new poets, SFPA members and nonmembers alike, with the following exclusions. Poets must have three or fewer paid poetry publication credits. No members of the contest committee, no current SFPA officers or web site staff, and no family members of the judges may enter the contest. 

CONTEST THEME: 
Write a speculative poem of 20 lines or less inspired by one of these works of art:
http://www.donaldedavis.com/BIGPUB/STANTRUS.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: ... onomer.JPG
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: ... _Medea.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_H ... stry_7.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: ... nset_2.jpg

All forms welcome--haiku, cinquains, tanka, sonnets, free verse, etc., but poems must contain one or more of the following elements: science fiction, fantasy, horror, surrealism or straight science. Post previously unpublished poems only. No reprints. Poems should be appropriate for a general audience. We reserve the right to remove from contest consideration and from the forums any poems that might be considered above a "PG" rating.

SUBMISSION SPECIFICS: 
Submissions must be made at the SFPA Forum (index.php). Registration at the forum will be required to post poems. Poets shall submit poems as posts under the heading SFPA New Poets Contest: The Art of Poetry. This topic will be password-protected. The password will be listed on the forum, right under the contest topic heading. One must register to even SEE the contest topic. One poem per post, with a maximum of three poems per person. Include your name, title of poem, and then text of poem. Winners will be contacted for their addresses via email after the contest closes.

DEADLINE: 
The deadline for submissions is 11:59 EDT on June 30, 2010. SFPA reserves the right to extend the contest deadline, if necessary. Winners will be announced on the SFPA Forum. Questions? The first topic under the contest heading is the place to post questions. If you cannot access this topic after registering, post your question in the “Website and Forum” area. The SFPA shall not be held liable if submissions cannot be made due to website problems or connection difficulties, etc.