Welcome to the first ever 'AbsoluteWrite Absolutely Awful Poetry Contest'.
The inspiration for this competition comes from the regular threads about what makes poetry good, and what makes poetry bad. The aspiration for this competition is to have a lot of fun and maybe to learn something by inverse practice.
Poets and non-poets alike are invited to submit one poem only, on any theme. The winning poem will be that judged to be the WORST. That is right. This is a competition to write the worst possible poem you can. If you are not a poet perhaps you have a small advantage! or maybe not?
The uncertain may wish to roam the web and read a lot of poetry, noting what they hate about each one - and then trying to ensure their entry contains all that and more. Those confident of their inability, however, may feel able to jot down a winning poem in a few seconds flat! There are no rules as to how you come to write your entry (so long as it IS you who wrote it), but there are a few rules about the process of entry itself:
1) The entry fee to the competition (YES! There is an entry fee) will be one reputation point to every other entrant.
2) The maximum poem length will be 60 lines.
3) Entries may not be edited after the end of the competition. Any entry with a last edited stamp after the competition end will be disqualified.
4) Poems edited based on crit-eeks will be disqualified and deleted. (see the crit-eek thread to find out what a crit-eek is)
4) The deadline for entry is 01:00 September 1st 2005
5) Please vote by PM to WordSoup, our wonderful Poetry Forum Moderator.
The voting period will run from:
09:00 September 2nd 2005 until midnight September 9th 2005.
The result will be announced on:
September 12th 2005.
(unless there's a real-life crisis - in which case there will be a note posted about the delay)
NOTE: All times stated are according to Central Time.
And yes! There will be prizes to the winner!!!!!!!!!
and to every runner-up too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The prize: Each voter will send a reputation point to the poet they believe entered the worst poem. In this way the winner will get the biggest 'prize' and so on.
So voters.. don't forget.. PM to WordSoup, Rep point to the poet.
......And, may the worst poem win.
Edited (17th August) to apend to the voting rules:
All contestants must vote, and it must be for an entry other than their own.
Edited (22nd August) to add a PRIZE!!!!!!
I thought, hey, maybe a real prize will motivate extra people to enter.. and it wasn't long before I came up with just the thing to suit this special contest.
To the winner only: A copy of my first published book of poetry, (dependent on being PMd an address to send it to). This book has not been published yet, it isn't actually anywhere near completion yet, so it could take a while (anywhere from here to eternity actually). But eventually, what a prize eh? (Absolutely Awful)
The inspiration for this competition comes from the regular threads about what makes poetry good, and what makes poetry bad. The aspiration for this competition is to have a lot of fun and maybe to learn something by inverse practice.
Poets and non-poets alike are invited to submit one poem only, on any theme. The winning poem will be that judged to be the WORST. That is right. This is a competition to write the worst possible poem you can. If you are not a poet perhaps you have a small advantage! or maybe not?
The uncertain may wish to roam the web and read a lot of poetry, noting what they hate about each one - and then trying to ensure their entry contains all that and more. Those confident of their inability, however, may feel able to jot down a winning poem in a few seconds flat! There are no rules as to how you come to write your entry (so long as it IS you who wrote it), but there are a few rules about the process of entry itself:
1) The entry fee to the competition (YES! There is an entry fee) will be one reputation point to every other entrant.
2) The maximum poem length will be 60 lines.
3) Entries may not be edited after the end of the competition. Any entry with a last edited stamp after the competition end will be disqualified.
4) Poems edited based on crit-eeks will be disqualified and deleted. (see the crit-eek thread to find out what a crit-eek is)
4) The deadline for entry is 01:00 September 1st 2005
5) Please vote by PM to WordSoup, our wonderful Poetry Forum Moderator.
The voting period will run from:
09:00 September 2nd 2005 until midnight September 9th 2005.
The result will be announced on:
September 12th 2005.
(unless there's a real-life crisis - in which case there will be a note posted about the delay)
NOTE: All times stated are according to Central Time.
And yes! There will be prizes to the winner!!!!!!!!!
and to every runner-up too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The prize: Each voter will send a reputation point to the poet they believe entered the worst poem. In this way the winner will get the biggest 'prize' and so on.
So voters.. don't forget.. PM to WordSoup, Rep point to the poet.
......And, may the worst poem win.
Edited (17th August) to apend to the voting rules:
All contestants must vote, and it must be for an entry other than their own.
Edited (22nd August) to add a PRIZE!!!!!!
I thought, hey, maybe a real prize will motivate extra people to enter.. and it wasn't long before I came up with just the thing to suit this special contest.
To the winner only: A copy of my first published book of poetry, (dependent on being PMd an address to send it to). This book has not been published yet, it isn't actually anywhere near completion yet, so it could take a while (anywhere from here to eternity actually). But eventually, what a prize eh? (Absolutely Awful)
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