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Sunday
November 22, 2009
2:25pm EST

>> Book >> Emotional >> ID #963917 | Show Details

MISCELLANEA		Rated: 13+
All that does not fit in or spills out of other folders or books.
by: Khalish	Avg Rating: (51)

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Entry #409910, added on 09-19-06 @ 4:08 pm EDT.
[Entry Access Restriction] None.

Title: POETRY IN RHYME AND RHYTHM CONTEST: Full Announcement

POETRY IN RHYME AND RHYTHM CONTEST: FULL ANNOUNCEMENT AND LIST OF PAST WINNERS

A. AIM --

The aim of this contest is to provide a forum for posting poems that reflect excellence in poetry written in proper English following the rules of rhyme and rhythm. It is expected that these poems would provide reading pleasure as well as inspiration for appreciating and writing high quality poetry.

In view of the above aim, this contest has the following unique provisions not found in most other contests:

1. Besides your own poems, you may post poems written by others, whether they are writing.com authors or not, including the well-known masters of English poetry. This provision has been included in view of the fact that there may be many persons who cannot write an excellent poem but can spot one.

2. You may post poems that have won prizes or awards earlier. This provision has been included in view of the fact that a poem that has won an award earlier is likely to be an excellent poem and there is no reason why excellence should be rewarded once but not a second time.

3. You may post poems that have also been submitted for other contests. This provision has been included in view of the fact that there is no reason why the display of excellence of a poem should be permitted at only one forum, denying it the opportunity of being displayed at other forums.

4. You may post a poem that has been already posted in this contest earlier, and, even awarded a prize, provided it fits in with the requirements of the prompt given. This provision has been included in view of the fact that a poem may be compatible with more than one prompts.

5. You may post an altered version of a previously written poem. This provision has been included in view of the fact that every modification made by an author to his or her previously written item is likely to have a higher degree of excellence.

6. You may post up to 3 poems. This provision has been included in view of the fact that sometimes there may be more than one poem that may appear to be excellent and it may be difficult to decide which one is more so.

In return for your contributing a high quality poem, I will try to fulfill the aim of ensuring: high quality language; high quality poetry; uniqueness of prompts; objective and transparent judging; a serious review for each entry; timely and efficient contest management; and, high quantum of prize money.

B. BACKGROUND

1. This contest was initially named as Monthly Traditional Poetry Contest. But, later, literature review suggested there was no clear and objective definition of traditional poetry. Hence, the change in name.

2. Rhyme is well understood, so need not be elaborated.

3. Rhythm is an essential characteristic of poetry. For information on “What is rhythm?”, see http://www.poetrymagic.co.uk/advanced/rhythm.html.

The following brief commentary on rhythmic and free verse is a simplified version taken from it. [Its reading may be omitted, no harm done, by those not academically inclined].

“Metre is a systematic regularity in rhythm. In western literature there are two great metrical systems — the quantitative (introduced by the Greeks) and the accentual (which appears in Latin of the third century AD).

The quantitative system is based upon counting of syllables.
The accentual system is based upon counting of stresses.

Accentual verse has fixed counts of stress but variable syllables. Syllabic verse has fixed counts of syllables regardless of stresses. Accentual-syllabic is conventional meter with both stress and syllables fixed. Free verse has no restrictions on either.

Accentual verse is found in popular verse, ballads, nursery rhymes, songs and doggerel. Syllabic verse, as exemplified by the French form Alexandrine is not strictly metrical, and twentieth century attempts to write a pure syllabic verse in English have not caught on. Accentual-syllabic was developed by Chaucer from Italian models, and became the staple for English poetry from Elizabethan times till comparatively recently. Free verse originated in France around the middle of the nineteenth century, was championed (briefly) by the founders of Modernism, and has ramified into various forms, some of them indistinguishable from prose”.

4. The Importance of Meter-- There is an inseparable relation between music and poetry. The major poetical characteristic that lends musical quality to poetry is rhythm. Rhythm and meter are closely related. The dictionary definition of meter is: rhythm as given by division into parts of equal time. The word meter comes from the word metronome, which is a device to measure beats within a definite time frame. It is used to set the tempo for a piece of music. Classic poetry, like any musical creation, has both rhythm and meter. The job of both music and poetry is to bring some sort of emotion to the reader or listener; to touch their hearts with the words the poet has written. We have all listened to a song and suddenly realized we are crying. Such power over our emotions, which is the hallmark of good poetry, is enhanced if the poetry has rhythm.

5. Based upon the above, the name was later changed to POETRY IN RHYME AND RHYTHM CONTEST. In view of the above background, it would be clear that the contest could as well have been named “Poetry in rhyme and meter contest”. The rules given below flow from this definitional background.

C. RATIONALE:

A poet is often caught in a dilemma. Should he give free rein to his creativity and write verse freely without bothering about structural format? Or, should he insist on structural rules even though they come in the way of creativity? In this context, poetic freedom and structure may be viewed as two opposing forces. Poetic structure or form tends to promote rhythm but limit creativity. Poetic freedom tends to dilute rhythm but promote creativity. Both have to be optimally balanced to result in a poem with rhythm without stifling the creativity of the poet. While it is true that poetic rules come in the way of creativity and free expression, I believe that this is often used as a lame excuse by those who want a short cut and wish to become a poet without the effort needed to muster the rules. I believe that before a writer starts writing in free verse, he should try to master the art of metered poetry. I believe this will make him a more versatile writer of poetry. This contest is aimed at encouraging writers to write formal, structured poetry in rhyme, rhythm and meter.

D. THE RULES:

1. Entrants may submit up to 3 entries. These may be their own poem or poems written by others but submitted on their behalf. [It will be assumed that the entrant has the writer’s permission to nominate his or her entry for the contest]. The others include non-members of writing.com, including the famous masters of poetry, such as Milton, Shakespeare, Goldsmith etc. The main criterion is excellence. [In my judgment, I may award the prize to a new poet over a famous one. Old is not always gold].

2. Prize will not be withheld on the grounds that the number of entries is not enough. That means, the prize can be given even for a single entry, provided the poem is worthy of the prize.

3. In case the prize goes to a poem entered on behalf of another, the entrant will be entitled to only half the prize. The other half would go to the writer. If any of the two indicates a desire not to claim his or her portion of the prize [it has happened earlier], such portion will be treated as donation to the contest and will be duly acknowledged.

4. The poem must be in proper or complete rhyme. TIP--For help in rhyming, consult online free rhyming dictionary: http://www.rhymer.com/

Example of complete rhyme:

Jack fell down,
Broke his crown.

Examples of incomplete rhyme:

Jack fell down,
Broke his crowns.

Jack fell down,
Broke his pawn.

Jack fell down,
Lost his count.

5. The poem should have rhythm. Rhythm is difficult to define. Practical suggestions to ensure rhythm are as follows:

a. Break the poem into recognizable stanzas
b. Keep a definite syllabic pattern. Some common syllable schemes are: 7-7-7-7; 8-8-8-8; 7-6-7-6; and 8-6-8-6. [The numbers refer to the number of syllables in each line of the commonly used 4-line stanza. For example, 8-6-8-6 would mean 8 syllables in lines 1 and 3 of the stanza; 6 syllables in lines 2 and 4 of the stanza]. All dictionaries indicate the number of syllables in a word. You may choose any syllable pattern of your choice, but it must be maintained throughout the poem.
c. Minimize awkward line breaks, with part of a sentence carried to the next line in an unnatural manner.
d. Don’t be shy of punctuation
e. Read the poem aloud. This will indicate any jarring in pronunciation, which totally spoils the rhythm and flow. Reading aloud a bit fast helps all the more in this. Reading aloud is important because the number of syllables alone does not ensure rhythm. Their proper order is also necessary.

The following illustrates it:

Make sure rhythm is not faulty,
Syllable count is must.
Rhyming is severe headache,
Just meter can be used.

>>

Always ensure the rhythm by
Counting all syllables.
Rhyming may be difficult,
Only meter may do.
[From "HOW TO WRITE AN ACROSTIC--an acrostic"

]

Please note that each of the above two stanzas has a 7-6-7-6 format [seven syllables in first and third lines and 6 syllables in second and fourth lines]. However, only the second has rhythm.

f. It would be beneficial to read "SCANSION--the basics"

.

6. The writer or the entrant must indicate in a footnote as to what is the syllable pattern.

7. Poems need not be newly written. Previously rewarded poems can be submitted.

8. Posting—The title of the entry should be the title of the poem, followed by a hyphen and the words ‘my entry’.

9. Linking—Entries should be submitted in the form of a link. For independent items, it should be a bitem link. For individual entries in book or journal items, it should be an entry link. The method of posting a link is given below:

For posting as bitem link, type out the parentheses and fill up them with bitem:xxxxxx, where xxxxxx is the item ID no.

For posting as entry link, type out the parentheses and fill up them with entry:xxxxxx, where xxxxxx is the entry ID no.

Those unable to use a link due to any reason, including the reason that the poem does not exist on writing.com, may post directly in the forum.

10. Faulty grammar and spelling and typos will not be ignored.

11. The contest is open from the first of the month till the last day of the month.

12. PRIZE--There will be one prize of 10,000 GP. The contest owner reserves the right to:

a. Split the prize money into two or more contestants in case of close competition;

b. Award additional prizes.

D. DONATIONS--

It is for the sake of maintaining quality and giving a reward for high quality poetry that the prize has been kept reasonably attractive at 10,000 GP. This has been possible through the generous donation of 100,000 GP by the patron donor, kireimusume.

Further donations from lovers of quality poetry would be welcome. This will help towards strength and sustainability of the contest. All donations will be gratefully acknowledged.

The donations received so far are listed below, in order of receipt--

Tammy 2,500 GP

gailey 2,000 GP

Anonymous 10,000 GP

kireimusume 100,000 GP

invisibleinque 3000 GP

marti stevens couch 5000 GP

Robert E. Blackwell 10,000 GP

Monty 1000 GP

Brenpoet 2000 GP

DragonBlue 5000 GP

Bobby Lou Stevenson 10,000 GP

Kate~Rune Harvesting Words 1000 GP

Monty 1000 GP [a second time]

Brenpoet 2000 GP [a second time]

Brooke 5000 GP

Easy 50,000 GP

Easy 50,000 GP--a second time

NOTE--Donations will be used for enhancing partly the prizes and partly the duration of the contest.

*******************************************

WINNERS IN PREVIOUS ROUNDS

ROUND 1 [A sonnet on any theme]:

Winning First Prize:
to sonnet written by Spheric , "Seductive Song"

submitted by Merrijane

Additional Prizes:
Second prize to Bluestone for her sonnet "Invalid Item"

;
Third prize to sonnet "Invalid Item"

written by Rebecca Laffar-Smith and submitted by Merrijane

******

ROUND 2 [A poem on rose]:

The first prize of 10,000 GP was shared by the following:

"WILL YOU"

by Monty --6000 GP.

"Predetermined"

by OnDisplay -- 4000 GP.

A second prize of 4000 GP was shared by the following:

"Pick Me While I Am A Rose"

by Brenpoet – 2000 GP

"Invalid Item"

by Robert E. Blackwell --2000 GP

An Honorable Mention prize was awarded to
"Fragility of a rose"

by twyls and twin: gone after Dec – 1000GP

******

ROUND 3 [A poem on Christmas]:

The first prize of 10,000 GP was equally shared by the following:

"Invalid Item"

by James A. Osteen Jr.
and
"The Word Made Flesh"

by Brenpoet

******

ROUND 4 [A poem on old age]:

Winner--"Have I Grown Old?"

by Brenpoet gets 7500 GP.

Runner up--The poem “The Legacy Key” by Aparadoxwalks85 gets 2500 GP. It can be viewed at post no. 82 of the forum.

******

ROUND 5 [A poem referring to the Iraq war / the so called war on terrorism / US war policy].

It was decided to award the First Prize jointly to 2 entries:

"We All Share One Father"

by Brenpoet gets 6000 GP.

"TAPS OR REVEILLE"

by Monty gets 4000 GP.

*************
ROUND 6 [A poem on the topic of betrayal in love or friendship or relationship].

It was decided to award the First Prize to "The Way Of The Cross"

by Brenpoet

**********

ROUND 7 [A poem containing the word FOOL/FOLLY/FOOLISHNESS in the title or the body].

FIRST PRIZE: Brenpoet 7000 GP

SECOND PRIZE: Theophilus Lightwalker 2000 GP

THIRD PRIZE: Bobby Lou Stevenson 1000 GP

*************

ROUND 8 [A poem with some sort of reference to the Orient].

It was decided to award both 5 star entries as follows:

FIRST PRIZE: Brenpoet 7500 GP for "The Prayer-Wheel"

SECOND PRIZE: Easy 2500 GP for "ODD FELLOW"

**************

ROUND 9 [JUNE 2006]-- A poem consisting of at least 5 or more couplets having the following rhyme scheme:

aa, ba, ca, da, ea, fa, ga, ha……..

[The above scheme is a simplification of the ghazal form, which has been described in detail in "WHAT IS A GHAZAL AND HOW TO WRITE IT?"

. 1000 GP to be awarded as bonus gift for submitting a proper ghazal].

FIRST PRIZE: Easy for "SO FAR AWAY"

*****

ROUND 10 [JULY 2006]-- An acrostic poem in meter (As per a defined syllabic pattern). 500 bonus GP to all entries that are in rhyme as well as meter.

FIRST PRIZE: Easy 6000 GP
SECOND PRIZE:alfred booth 4000 GP

***

ROUND 11 [August 2006]-- "Write a poem in rhyme and meter with 8 syllables to each line. The following line must appear somewhere in the poem--"How shall I thank you for your love?"

Bella Bunny 6000 GP

Rhyssa 5000 GP

Easy 4000 GP

M C Gupta

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