Wild Violet 2009 Poetry Contest Rules

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Eligibility: Entrant must be the author of the original, unpublished work submitted to the contest.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.

Deadline: The contest ends at 11:59:59 p.m. ET on Friday, February 26, 2010. Entries via e-mail must be sent (and payment received via PayPal) by that date. Entries sent via regular postal mail must be postmarked February 26 or earlier.

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

Poetic requirements: Any form is accepted. There is a line limit of 200 lines.

Awards: The first prize winner 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.

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 contest: 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."

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

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

- The poem 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 (accessible on the home page: http://www.wildviolet.net). 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 poem being submitted. Also include a brief bio (two sentences) of prior publications/awards; this will be published in Wild Violet if the entry is one of the winners.

- Poems must be typewritten on 8.5" x 11" white paper and must be clean copies. Legible photocopies are acceptable. Send two copies of each poem submitted.

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

- Include a check, payable to Alice Wilson; the fee is U.S. $5 for each poem entered.

- 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: http://www.wildviolet.net.

- For the return of your entry, provide a SASE with sufficient postage.

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


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