What to Submit?
One original, poem on any theme, and any form is acceptable up to a maximum of 30 lines (blank lines not included). Please see "A Note to Poetry Contestants" below.
No name or identifying mark on your entry
No Prizes - podium and placings as appropriate
Preparing Your Entry
Submit one copy of your poem online. Format your poem. Please make your entry easy to read — no illustrations or fancy fonts.
English Language
Poems should be in English. Poems translated from other languages are not eligible, unless you wrote both the original poem and the translation.
A Note to Poetry Contestants
A marathon has an official distance of 42.195 kilometers (26.219 miles; 26 miles 385 yards). The 2019 Poetry Marathon will be composed of 27 contests that will start now and continue through the end of 2019. Each of the first 26 contests will represent their respective mile (mile 1, mile 2, mile 3, etc.). The 27th contest will represent the remaining partial mile. I decided to use miles instead of kilometers since I didn’t want to have 43 contests! My intent is to have the 27 contests finalized by December 31, 2019.
Marathons by nature are brutal. This Poetry Marathon will be no different. All 27 contests will be Premiere Contests. Yikes! At the end of the 27 contests, I will judge all contest qualifiers to determine the sole winner of the marathon, plus the 2nd through 10th place overall winners. In other words, the final, overall, top ten placements. Booyah!
Poets who place in the top ten during the contests will accumulate points toward the final. In other words, consideration will be given to overall performance.
Remember, this isn't a sprint, it's a marathon. These Premiere contests can be brutal since only 10 of the 35 submitted poems can place in the contest. Be sure to pace yourselves and have fun along the way. And remember the #1 rule for marathoners - FINISH! Cheers!
Kudos to those who haven't yet placed
I hope your resolve isn't cooling
A marathon can be a long, tiring race
And the Premiere contests likewise grueling