The Scent of Water Contest Judged

My first contest is completed and judged. This has been a fun and learning experience which requires a good deal of time. Thank you to everyone who entered. My goal was to award placements to the top third of the entries, considering artistic and technical merit, as well as, the degree to which each entry met the contest theme of "renewal." At the time of writing this blog, I have no idea who did not place. I am glad to see some "newer" members on the soup in my list. I know how encouraging it was to me to place in a contest when I first joined Poetry Soup. 

Wherever you placed or did not place in my contest, keep writing and entering (if you enjoy the competitions). Each judge will exert some personal taste in the judging process. I am aware that some members do not think that the technical aspects of good writing should enter into the judging process, but they are important. Think of your poem as a canvas and you are a painter. If you pay no attention to how the paint is applied, you may not get your artistic concept across to the viewers. Writing a poem is much the same process; your words are the paint and the technical aspects (punctuation, grammar, etc.) are how you apply your paint to the canvas. I will know what you meant to say by the way you "apply your paint to the canvas."

Congratulations to Andrea Dietrich for taking the top place. I am looking forward to sending her the promised prize. I will send you a soup mail, Andrea.

Since the name of the poems was all the same, I am just listing the author's name and the placement.

                                       1                                    Andrea Dietrich

                                       2                                    Craig Cornish

                                       3                                    John Lawless

                                       3                                    Dave Wood

                                       3                                    Keith Merritt

                                       4                                    Dr. Anuradha Moogi

                                       4                                    Alfred Vassallo

                                       5                                    Carolyn Devonshire

                                       5                                    Theresa Stephens

                                       6                                     Dr. Ram Mehta

                                       6                                    Casarah Nance

           Honorable Mention                                    Joseph May

           Honorable Mention                                    Julie Heckman

           Honorable Mention                                    Arlene Smith

           Honorable Mention                                    hija de la luna