To N/A or not to N/A

Alison, I'll also add that the contest landscape has dwindled/downsized from the last couple of years. Today I count eleven. In the heyday, there would be over twenty contests to choose from. In today's market, the contest has become harder. (with more complex prompts IMO-hence the N/A's) In the past, there used to be easy and fun contests with easy topics/prompts (I call them bunny hops, with lots of placements). For a beginner navigating the current contests, it is a steep climb. These contest sponsors, I feel, give a fair shake (and run fun contests with numerous placements--Tania, Constance, Silent, and Andrea, where the template for success is to follow all the rules, be creative in your writing, and write poetry. Best wishes.

Following on from your comment below, Alison: Music is great for creating the ambience in which to compose poetry, but the rhythms in both work differently. Rhythm in poetry is obtained through rhyme, metre, poetic tools such as alliteration, etc. I would like to encourage you to immerse yourself in the cadence of poetry by reading as widely as possible. As one gets an ear for music and what appeals to you, so one soon gets a feel for what stands out to you as fine poetry. As far as the contests are concerned: Please do not become obsessed with winning at all costs as that way lies paranoia. Enjoy the process, Alison.

Don't be disheartened Alison, everyone on here has got NAs, some you win some you lose. I've had loads over the years. One bit of advice I'll give is always read the contest rules TWICE and if you're not sure of something contact the sponsor or anyone on here . Tom

Write what your heart must. Enter contests that test your craft-skills. Proceed with rules attention perfection. Post, move on. Fret not resulting N/A or No. 1. PS: It’s Poetry. :-)

Not Applicable is the answer; Natural Artist is what I tell myself. Winning a contest involves countless factors that your pen shouldn't take personally. Keep honing and believing if your inner voice tells you to write, you're meant to write. We've all sat in the NA dump.

I would thank you all for your responses to my little whinge. I was feeling very demoralized. I would never stop writing - I have written for a very long time. To see how many of the poets I look up to having received the N/A I feel so much better. I have even entered a couple more contests.

Alison, 37.8% of my contest entries in the last 8 years have been N/A. . Oy vey I received an N/A No worries—it’s okay Tomorrow’s a new day! . That being said, a big thanks to all of you poetry contest sponsors who provide the exciting, joyful, energetic, passionate, blissful, and imaginative contests that are the mainstay of Poetry Soup!  And kudos to those who enter the contests and survive the roller coaster of emotions to write another day!

I enter contests for fun and just to try and write the prompts given! Sometimes they might be good, other times they might be a flop. To me it's about the creativity!

"N/A" stand for "Not Applicable". It is used when one fills in legal/official documents and all fields require a response. By the same token: How applicable is your self-imposed "5 contests to go then I'm done entering"? Sponsors judge subjectively; contestants mostly enjoy the challenges. Collectively, we have written thousands of poems (I've passed the 1,000-mark ages ago). A walkabout is often beneficial to gain a fresh perspective on poetry as a whole.

Hi Alison, I agree with all the feedbacks below. Entering a contest is fun and educational...the award is just a bonus. Some sponsors judge according to mood, some according to standards that they themselves make. Whatever the reasons for N/A, they don't define our poems IMHO.I guess no one is spared from getting an N/A-- for example in a premiere contest where 35 or more poems are allowed to enter but the sponsor could only choose 10 doesn't mean the rest are Not Appropriate or Not Appealing. Just keep writing and be happy in doing so. ^___^ JCB

Everyone here has given useful advice. I will add a few things. Don't despair. When I first came here, I was being rejected by a few judges constantly . But I just kept entering their contests if what they asked for was appealing to me. There will always be judges who don't like your style. I know of five such sponsors whose contests I rarely enter because of that, but once in a while I will enter their contests just for kicks and because the theme appeals to me. If they don't like my poem, at least I feel good about it. Feeling good about your own work is satisfying. Plus you are getting practice. On what NA stands for. Could it mean No Award?

i think learning to cope with rejection is an important part of being a writer, it's something we all have to deal with..obvs we like our work to be accepted and appreciated, but contests can spark poems that would not otherwise be written, and that's valuable in itself

Alison, with every teardrop and every bellyflop, wipe the tears and get back on your two feet. Reset, polish, and improve your writing, and the flowers will blossom. When you look back at your journey, you'll find that the journey has more rewards than placements and wins.

I only enter contests that stir my interest and are by judges whom I trust to be fair, though I will enter a contest from a judge to find out how they judge, some judges ask for a form to judge where when checking I find they've never posted a poem in the form they ask for...you'll find your way dear poet

well, Allison, welcome to the club...with my last name...well, I just keep writing and have even "invented" the "Lawless Sonnet" believing that if Shakespeare could miss or add a syllable to maintain the meter and continuity...then so could I. Hang in there...my poetic mantra is "DON'T FIGHT IT...WRITE IT".

Many sponsors favour certain poetic forms and have written examples of it over the years - it is a good idea to read their work before entering contests.To introduce GenZ poetry is a shock to the system for many - especially experimental poetry. Having said that, it appears to me that poetry which are embraced on other platforms such where a glut of AI-generated work is shared on a daily basis and garner a following, would meet with resistance on here. They are often marred by generic metaphors, slightly awkward phrasing, and a lack of distinctive voice. As to the question why a poem of yours did not place: the PoetrySoup rules make it difficult for sponsors to reply honestly as comments must be positive - a minefield I wish to avoid. Most international writing competitions (not only poetry) give feedback on the top winners' work. Although PS states on the contest page that feedback may be expected, I don't prescribe to this (for the reasons stated). Patience and perseverance are recommended, Alison.

by all means DO NOT LET the n/a's dissuade you. I pretty consistently receive n/a's and always remain curious as to why. Without any direct communication from the contest sponsor, we're left in the dark--one aspect of contest entering that I don't like. I persevere because each contest is a challenge and helps me to improve, regardless of direct feedback from the sponsor.

Believe me, Alison, you're all of us. We all get a N/A poem from time to time, yes, even the greatest poets on this site. It's inevitable if you participate in contests. Not following contest descriptions to the letter gets even a great poem disqualified. Here's a kicker, a poem can be simultaneously POTD and N/A in a contest! I'm a contest judge and sometimes I like a poem, but not enough to place it. A bummer for me and the poet, for sure, but it is what it is. Don't let it discourage you from writing and entering contests. Keep on doing both. Welcome to Poetrysoup, dear poet.

Alison, keep on writing and submitting to contests. If you do not place it is fine to email the contest sponsor to ask why. It most likely was a contest rule you may have overlooked.

Alison CONTEST GUIDELINE BY POETRYSOUP suggests in its 'How to Win' .... 'Study the past winners of a contest sponsored by that member'... As a premier contest sponsor which limits me to 10 places clearly 25 entries will not be placed so n/a simply means 'not attributed' a 1-10 placing.

Dear Alison, I know how demoralising this can feel. Getting N/A does not reflect on how your poems are estimated by others. On entering contests, it is good for all of us to remember that sometimes the sponsor has specific ideas on what they are looking for and sometimes its their preference of style and content that factors in. This DOES NOT mean that you are not a poet! Your works are still precious and uniquely your own. Don't allow this to discourage you. Keep writing and keep sharing your works. If you do enter contests, try to enter for the fun of the challenge. The sense of achievement you will feel on accomplishing that far outweighs a placement in a contest. Best of wishes.

For me, NA=Never Again. You just have to find a judge who likes your style.

It means Not All of your peers are poets who are qualified to judge contests. Recently, a Limerick judge awarded many placements to poems that were not written in Limerick form. In a more recent Haiku contest, the top placement had the wrong syllable count in the first line. I lost count long ago of how many N/As I've received and just last week, I was given one due to a PS glitch after the capable judge awarded me a first place. Reasons enough for me to enter only those contests who are held by respected poets and hope another glitch doesn't award me a coveted N/A. If contests were important to me, I'd enter more, but not under the current status in which they're mishandled.