NATIONAL POETRY COMPETITION 2019
2019 Theme:
"Metamorphosis"
Language:
English, Chinese, Malay or Tamil
Length:
Up to 40 lines
Categories:
10-14 years old
15-18 years old
19 years old and above
Submission Deadline:
28 February 2019 (Singapore Time, 23:59)
Please send your entries via this online form in Word and PDF formats.
For entries in Chinese, Malay and Tamil, English translation of your poem will only be required if you are announced as winners. Thereafter, deadline for English translation poem will be required by 20 April 2019.
Winning Entries:
Winning entries will be announced at the National Poetry Festival 2019 (date to be confirmed). The top selected poets will be invited to read the winning entries then.
The winning entries and other works of merit may be published in publications or anthology, with English translations required for poems in Chinese, Malay or Tamil by 20 April 2019.
The winning entries may be featured also on poetry walls at public parks and libraries around Singapore.
Rules:
1. The competition is open to permanent residents and citizens of Singapore.
2. The closing date of the competition is midnight on 28 February 2019.
3. Each participant is encouraged to submit his or her best poem, which should be unpublished and not submitted simultaneously to another competition. In case of multiple entries, only the first will be considered.
4. All poems must have a title and must not exceed 40 lines in length (excluding title). Entries must be on an interpretation of the theme “Metamorphosis” Send your entry at or before midnight on 28 February 2019 via this online form in Word and pdf formats.
5. All entries will be evaluated anonymously by the judges.
6. Entries must be submitted via online only. No email copies will be accepted.
7. Entries will not be returned, so keep your own copy.
8. Under no circumstances can changes be made to poems once submitted.
9. Entries made via the website will receive a confirmation of submission.
10. Entries will not be returned in whatsoever format, so keep your own copy.
11. The National Poetry Competition staff will be unable to confirm the content of documents submitted online, so please ensure you send the correct file.
12. The competition organisers reserve the right to change the judging panel without notice and not to award prizes if, in the judges’ opinion, no entry deserves a prize.
13. The judges’ decision is final and neither the judges nor the National Poetry Competition staff will enter into any correspondence.
14. No current member of the National Poetry Competition’s steering committee is eligible to enter the Singapore National Poetry Competition.
15. Poems must be the original work of the entrant.
16. Entries should be typed in black ink on A4 paper at a minimum type size of 12pt. Entries can be double- or single-spaced. Entries must be submitted in Word and pdf files.
17. There is no fee required to participate in the competition.
18. Areas that the judges are looking at include (i) sense of form (ii) precision with language (iii) originality of thought (iv) truthfulness of feeling (v) sensitivity to the world at large.
19. Top winners will be notified by 31 March 2019 and invited to an award ceremony at Poetry Festival Singapore 2019 (date to be confirmed). All winners will be required to provide a biography and a high-resolution photograph.
20. The copyright of each poem remains with the writer. However, writers of the top poems, by entering the competition, grant Poetry Festival (Singapore) the right to publish and/or broadcast their poems.
FAQ
1. Can I submit more than one entry?
Yes, only the FIRST ENTRY will be considered.
2. Can I submit more than one languages (e.g. one entry under English and one entry under Chinese)?
Yes, you may.
3. Do I have to pay any submission fee?
No, there is no submission fee to submit your poem.
4. What is the judging criteria?
The judges rubric consists of: sense of form, precision with language, originality, truthfulness of feeling and sensitivity to the world at large. Please see this page for the rubric.
5. When will I know if I am shortlisted?
We will inform the applicants by 31 March 2019.
6. Is there an age limit?
No, anyone of any age from 10 years old can join.
We have three categories:
10 - 14 years olds
15 - 18 years old
19 years old and above
7. Can foreigners participate?
The competition is only open to permanent residents and citizens of Singapore.
8. I am writing in Chinese, Malay or Tamil, do I have to submit a pdf file?
Yes. In case we are not able to view the poem due to missing fonts, please send us pdf file of your poem.
9. Do I have to provide English translation of my Chinese, Malay or Tamil poem?
No, you do not have to do so for submission. But if you are shortlisted as a finalist, you are required to submit the English translation by 20 April 2019. This is to facilitate the publication of any books/anthology, targeted at readers across languages.
10. What are the prizes for winners?
To be announced.