The seed of Fear Poetry Contest

What to Submit?

1 original, poem on the theme of The Seed of Fear: What if a common folk tale or nursery rhyme was actually a warning?
Must be Other form.

"This is a contest of reinterpretation, where your challenge is to uncover the 'seed of fear' within a beloved childhood story." The key is not to just retell the story with a dark ending, but to use the original elements to build a new, unsettling narrative. Pick a nursery rhyem or folk tale that you grew up with and make it into something chilling and terrifying.

examples: Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill, Mary Mary Quite Contrary, etc...

or you can use a folk tale: Hansel and Gretal, The little Mermaid, The Frog Prince etc...

choose one and put in the notes "The Seed of Fear (then what nursery rhyem or folk tale you are using)"

A good example would be Anne Sexton poem "Cinderella"

Prizes

First Prize, Glory
Second Prize, Glory
Third Prize, Glory
Twelve Honorable Mentions

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

You are welcome to enter this contest.

Note from Sponsor: