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Hey I've been writing poetry for ages as a hobby of mine, & I'm looking for some poetry contests to enter to try to win a prize or get my works published. I know of a lot of contests like poetry.com that are just trying to sell you books, but does anyone know of some LEGITIMATE contests? Thanx =)

By Hautbois (Hautbois) on Saturday, June 14, 2003 - 06:37 pm: Edit

While it's often been said that "if you have to pay it isn't legit", many legit poetry contests charge a fee to enter. I know that sounds ridiculous, but there you have it. I would suggest that you check out Poets & Writers magazine, for one. They lists winners of various contests, and you can get an idea from that which sort of journals/organizations would best fit your poetry. You could also check out the Poetry Society of America. Both of these are online, btw.

I'm guessing, though, that there might be legit contests for teens that may also work for you. (I don't fit that category so I've never checked it out.)

I'll look around, too, and see what I can find.

What sort of poetry do you write? Form would fit in certain areas and not in others. (I just received the contest information for the "World order of Narative & Formalist Poets.) Have you checked out the fabulous sources online, like Able Muse and Alsop Review? How about the poetry daily site (http://www.poems.com/today.htm)?

There's also a site that accepts poetry submissions for online publication. No prizes there (that I know of), but it is for teen writers only.
http://wow-schools.net/frodosnotebook/

Hope some of this is helpful.