1 original, newly-written FIRST PERSON VILLANELLE, subject of your own choosing. Only Villanelles (see Poetry Soup's Types of Poetry) will be read. All other poetry formats will be disqualified. I've written several villanelles, so you might want to check those listed below. For this contest, I will be accepting Near Rhymes; however, I expect the rhymes to be reasonable. I do NOT consider "ing" on the end of the word a rhyme with all other "ing"-ending words, or "ly" to rhyme with all other "ly"-ending words period! Best to check your rhymes with Rhyme Zone.com or a similar site. No syllable counts in lines are necessary for this contest.
My examples are "Spirit Voices in the Night" "My Big Moment," and "Sing Me That Song," and "Shades of Blue and Gray." These and others can be found in my list of poems on Poetry Soup.
PLEASE READ ALL OF THE CONTEST INSTRUCTIONS TO THE END if you expect to do well in the contest.
Prizes
First Prize, Trophy Winner
Second Prize, Podium Position
Third Prize, Podium Positiion
4th-10th Places, Notable Entries
Preparing Your Entry
Submit one copy of your poem online. Format your poem. Please make your entry easy to read. Put the name of the contest, the sponsor's name, and the date your First Person Villanelle was written. It must have been written on or after August 2, 2022. Only new poems, please! I do check copyright dates at the bottom of the entries.
English Language
Poems MUST be in English. Poems translated from other languages are not eligible. "First Person" means it is written from the perspective of the writer, using the words "I, me, and my" instead of the second person "You" or the third person "They." Be careful not to switch person in your villanelle.
A Note to Poetry Contestants
You are welcome to enter this contest, whether or not you won a prize in one of my previous contests. I DO judge my contests blind, so please do not identify yourself in any way on your entry. DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME ON THE ENTRY. Under no circumstance will I discuss your entry with you via Soup Mail. If you have any questions about what a Villanelle is, consult "Types of Poetry" on Poetry Soup. If I find an obvious grammar, spelling, punctuation, or lack of proofreading error, your entry will probably be eliminated. I am very strict about this! No exceptions! Proofreading is absolutely essential when submitting poems for publication or contests.
NOTE: Until my contest is over, I will NOT be reading any Villanelles in the New Poems listing. The Villanelle is a reasonably complicated poetry form, and it does have some specific rules. I will be looking for a substantive theme, rhyme, rhythm, subject matter, imagery, precision in execution, and proper word usage. Let's write some fine Villanelles. Best wishes to everyone!