2011-2012 Poetry & Fiction Contest Rules

By on May 30, 2011 in Uncategorized

NOTE: Deadlines have been extended!

Eligibility: Entrant must be the author of the original, unpublished work submitted to the contest. Those directly involved in the editing and design of Wild Violet are not eligible, nor are their immediate family members, nor are the immediate family members of the judges; however, previous contributors to Wild Violet are eligible, as are previous contest winners.

Deadline: The contest ends at 11:59:59 p.m. ET on Friday, November 16, 2012. Entries via e-mail must be sent (and payment received via PayPal) by that date. Entries sent via regular postal mail must be postmarked November 16 or earlier.

Entry fee: U.S. $5 per poem, payable either online via PayPal or through mail by check, made payable to Alyce Wilson.

Requirements: In the poetry contest, any form is accepted. There is a line limit of 200 lines per poem. In the fiction contest, each story entered must be less than 2,500 words.

Awards: The first prize winner in each contest will receive a cash award of $100 as well as publication in Wild Violet; two honorable mentions will receive publication in Wild Violet. Authors, including the winners, retain ownership of copyright for the entries they submit in the contest.

Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are not accepted for this contest because of the difficulties presented if a piece is accepted elsewhere before the judging takes place.

This is not a lottery; a winner will be selected based on the decision of an independent judge. The entrance fees go towards the prize amount, with any remaining funds going towards defraying the expenses of Wild Violet magazine, a not-for-profit enterprise. Winners of cash prizes are responsible for their own local, state or federal taxes, as applicable under the law.

How to Enter
There are two ways to enter the poetry and fiction contests: via e-mail and through the regular mail. Following are the instructions for each method.

E-mail:
– Send your entry to: wildvioletmagazine@yahoo.com. The subject should say “Poetry Contest Entry” or “Fiction Contest Entry.”

- Your entry should include your name, address, phone number and e-mail address.

- Include a brief bio (two to three sentences) of prior publications/awards and other pertinent biographical info; this will be published in Wild Violet if the entry is one of the winners.

- The entry should either be included in the body of the e-mail or sent as a Text (.txt), Formatted Text (.rtf) or Microsoft Word (.doc) attachment. If sent in the body of the e-mail, do not include any HTML coding.

- When your e-mail entry is received, you will be sent a request to complete your entry by making payment through PayPal. You must have an account with PayPal to pay this way. Joining PayPal is free, but you will need to use a valid credit card. PayPal charges no additional fees of any kind for your payment and your membership. Follow the instructions provided in the e-mail sent to you.

- If you wish to be notified of the winners, join the Wild Violet mailing list. Winners will be announced when they are selected.

Regular mail:
– Send your entry to: Wild Violet, P.O. Box 39706, Philadelphia, Pa. 19106-9706.

- Include a cover sheet containing your name, address, phone number, e-mail address (if applicable) and the name of the work being submitted. Also include a brief bio (two to three sentences) of prior publications/awards and other pertinent biographical info; this will be published in Wild Violet if the entry is one of the winners.

- Entries must be typewritten on 8.5″ x 11″ white paper and must be clean copies. Legible photocopies are acceptable.

- The entry itself should not have any identifying information on it except for the title.

- For multiple-page submissions, label each page with the title and page number. Ex: Power Player – page 2

- Send two copies of each work submitted.

- Include a check, payable to Alyce Wilson; the fee is U.S. $5 for each entry.

- If you would like to be notified of the winners, include a stamped, self-addressed post card; or join the Wild Violet mailing list on the home page.

- Entries will not be returned.

Questions about the contest should be sent via e-mail to wildvioletmagazine@yahoo.com.

Main Contests Page

About

Alyce Wilson is the editor of Wild Violet and in her copious spare time writes humor, non-fiction, fiction and poetry and infrequently keeps an online journal. Her first chapbook, Picturebook of the Martyrs; her e-book/pamphlet, Stay Out of the Bin! An Editor's Tips on Getting Published in Lit Mags ; her book of essays and columns, The Art of Life; her humorous nonfiction ebook, Dedicated Idiocy: How Monty Python Fandom Changed My Life, and her newest poetry collection, Owning the Ghosts, can all be ordered from her Web site, AlyceWilson.com. In late 2019, she published a volume of poetry by her third great-grandfather, Reading's Physician Poet: Poems by Dr. James Meredith Mathews, which also contains genealogical information about the Mathews family. She lives with her husband and son in the Philadelphia area and takes far too many photos of her handsome, creative son, nicknamed Kung Fu Panda.