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The Rockland Public Library has submitted the following set of guidelines for its 2021 edition “Anything Goes!” Poetry contest:
“Everything goes!”
Annual Poetry Competition 2021 – Now until March 31.
With an ongoing global pandemic, a new and ever-changing set of RULES is coming. Are you confused while maneuvering these fluctuating but necessary orders, mandates, directives and regulations? U.S. too; that’s why this year’s contest is “Anything Goes! We want you to write your poem the way you want to write it. Type. Paint it. Stack some books. Take a marker and black out the words you don’t want. Take a stick and scrape it into the sand. Spell it with flowers or with flour. No matter how you do it, we want to see your poems YOUR way.
That being said, there must be some guidelines.
– Two age categories – 12 and under. 13 years and over.
– 1 submission per person.
– Poems must be one page long. It can be written, photographed, typed, etc. but documents longer than one page will not be accepted.
Submit your poems in one of three ways:
Mail: Send to Rockland Public Library, 80 Union Street, Rockland, ME 04841. Write POETRY COMPETITION and AGE CATEGORY on the OUTSIDE of the envelope.
In Person: As above, feel free to drop by one of the drop boxes or with the greeter in the lobby. Write POETRY CONTEST and AGE CATEGORY on the OUTSIDE of the envelope.
By email: send as an attachment to rocklandlibrary207@gmail.com. Attachments can be in Word, PDF, JPEG or PNG format ONLY. Include POETRY CONTEST and AGE CATEGORY in the subject line.
If mailed or dropped off, two copies of the poem must be submitted: one without any identifying information and one with name, address, phone number/email on the back of the poem.
The poems will be judged blindly. The top 3 will be chosen in each age category based on the quality of the poem, regardless of format. Another top 3 will be chosen in each age category depending on the creative alternate format. These will be posted in the Library and on our digital platforms (again, anonymously) to be judged by you, the community. Winners will be People’s Choice!
Poems must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 31. Judges’ picks will be posted and open for voting on Monday, April 5 and will continue until Monday, April 19. Winners will be invited to participate in a Zoom poetry reading.
By entering the Poetry Contest, you agree to allow the Rockland Public Library to use and/or reproduce your poem (in whole or in part), credited to the author, for use in promotional materials or in as part of a collective work. Contact Jessica Blanchard at the Rockland Public Library at 594-0310 or jblanchard@rocklandmaine.gov for more information.
