ON JUDGING WINNING POEMS

Hey Nette... How is it going, love your few but broad rules... gives some latitude to the poets. Agape, Moses

Sori, balik nga ako, lutang naman utak ko? Haha. But yes, thanks for sharing with us what goes into your judging process-- it would definitely differ from judge to judge :) Palaspas na mamaya....

Hi Nette, normally I have a bunch of rules for a particular contest. I don't care about the form (I don't care if you have a certain form down to the last period mark - if your poem doesn't resonate and doesn't follow rules it doesn't place). I like judging blind but I don't penalize people for including their names. However, I believe the work you put up for your contest is the complete work so one should be penalized for not following instructions instead of being allowed to make amends.

Thank you for my placement Nette. Coming from you I consider it to be an honor...

I will try to come back here nette, just dropping by to say, ang init!!!

Good you posted something on this matter, Nette. I'd like to mention how thankful I am to Roy Jerden who gave me a high place in his Japanese-theme contest though I forgot on or two words that made the line seem incomplete. I must have been too excited or was struck by ADHD that time, hah!Later, he commented that I fill this out , which i did. Mr. Roy was not specific about the mood he wanted; in his next acrostic contest he defined his terms -- to go with the feel of the song" In My Life." I like that!

CYN: very substantive insights.. it's true that a poem has to hit us in a heart-not-head way, along with some refined elements of good poetry.. i used to be a stickler for grammar though i have softened my views on this in lieu of poetry that moves me ...besides,. i have learned that most soupers use English as their second language.. between a flat,well- structured piece and one that may have a slight grammatical flaw but has a good flow and emotional layering, i would score the latter much, much higher...

For me, I try to balance the richness of a poem, its bone structure, flow, tone and imagery WITH how the poet interpreted the theme and if she/he showed me something new, fresh and original. It is hard to weigh these completely different aspects of a contest-- Poet A writes a stunning rondeau, for example, but Poet B nailed the subject and crafted something memorable, truth in lines, style that stunned. Because spelling/grammar does not usually sway my judging, I'd say that ESL does not come into play with my judging-- there are people born in countries where English IS their first language who write it with less finesse than those who have only been speaking it for a few years, my opinion. I like devices, and those that use them place higher in my contests, but I need to feel an emotional connection to the poem. If a poet has used every device and is flawless in syntax and form, but does not move me in some way, I will place it, but not as high as someone who, as you say Nette, has surprised me with their lines. I'll admit it, I like it when a poem comes full circle or twists unusually. I place all who have tried to meet the challenge in some way. I have given HM's to those who did not seem to write a poem for my contest, but who wrote a good poem all the same. I rarely give rules. I give guidelines. Recently, I had rules and guess what? I failed to place an artist who had entered a contest inspired by her OWN PAINTING. Cause she didn't follow the rules! Ridiculous! It taught me to always follow my instincts and judge SOLELY ON THE BEAUTY OF THE POEM! A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME.. lol.. And I no longer concern myself with how other judges run their contests. I will run them my way, free wheeling and focused on the power of words and strength of each line. xoxoxox Cyndi

The fewer rules the better the results usually the topic alone is enough, I hate it when a judge takes away my ability to title my own work! A title is a VERY important thing to a poem and used to its fullest can give information to the reader that will enrich their enjoyment of the verse.