Wordclay Poetry Contest | Terms & Conditions

Wordclay Poetry Contest - Terms and Conditions

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Wordclay Poetry Contests: Official Terms and Conditions

1.A. Entering the SINGLE POEM Poetry Contest:

There are no previous publishing requirements to enter this contest.

New or existing users of Wordclay.com may enter the Single Poem Poetry Contest by completing the following steps anytime during the contest's open submission period:

Step 1: If you have not already, register at: http://www.wordclay.com/BookWork/UserRegistration.aspx
Step 2: After you are logged in, click the "Start a new book" button located on the Author Control Panel Web page.
Step 3: Begin using the publishing wizard to submit the title of your entry:
- Enter the title of your poem (if submitting more than one poem, only enter one title).
- In the subtitle entry slot, type "Poetry Contest Individual."
- Enter your name or pen name.
- After you've completed this, you do not have to continue further in the wizard. You can save and exit the publishing wizard.
Step 4: E-mail your selected poem(s) to contests@wordclay.com as an attachment, in a Microsoft Word file. If you're submitting more than one poem, keep each poem separate in its own file, but send only one e-mail (one e-mail with multiple attachments).
- Clearly list your name on each page of your submission.

In the subject line of the e-mail, type "Individual Poetry Contest."
In the body of the e-mail, include your full name, phone number and e-mail address.
You can enter a maximum of five individual poems, each poem must be 50 lines or fewer.

We will begin accepting submissions on December 6, 2007. The deadline to submit an entry for the contest is 11:59 PM ET on February 3, 2008 (before February 4).

There are no entry fees, no subsidy payments and no purchases of any kind required to enter and/or win the contest.

By submitting your work, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of the contest, mentioned herein. All work submitted must be original material written by the contestant and is the sole responsibility of the contestant; entrants are entirely responsible for all content submitted. Wordclay reserves the right to declare any entries ineligible if we determine it is not in accordance with the terms stated in Wordclay's Terms of Use or in the Poetry Contest Terms and Conditions.

1.B Entering the BOOK OF POETRY Contest:

There are no previous publishing requirements to enter this contest.

Contestants entering should have a collection of poetry they wish to publish as a book.

Notice: Before entering the Book of Poetry contest, please note that there is a minimum page count of 48 pages required. If you do not have enough content to publish a 48 page, 5 inch by 8 inch (or larger) book, please enter our Single Poem contest instead.

New or existing users of Wordclay.com may enter the Book of Poetry contest by completing the following steps anytime during the contest's open submission period:

Step 1: If you have not already, register at: http://www.wordclay.com/BookWork/UserRegistration.aspx
Step 2: After you are logged in, click the "Start a new book" button located on the Author Control Panel Web page.
Step 3: Begin using the publishing wizard to submit the title of your entry:
- Enter the title of your poetry book.
- In the subtitle entry slot, type "Poetry Contest Book."
- Enter your name or pen name.
- After you've completed this, you do not have to continue further in the wizard. You can save and exit the publishing wizard.
Step 4: Send your book of poetry via e-mail.
- E-mail your collection to contests@wordclay.com as an attachment, in a Microsoft Word file.
- In the subject line of the e-mail, type "Book of Poetry Contest."
- In the body of the e-mail, include your full name, phone number and e-mail address.
- Your entire work will be reviewed, but only up to the first 60 pages. Please arrange your work accordingly if you have an extensive collection and there is a particular poem that is important to the work as a whole.

We will begin accepting submissions on December 6, 2007. The deadline to submit an entry for the contest is 11:59 PM ET on February 3, 2008 (before February 4).

There are no entry fees, no subsidy payments and no purchases of any kind required to enter and/or win the contest.

By submitting your work, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of the contest, mentioned herein. All work submitted must be original material written by the contestant and is the sole responsibility of the contestant; entrants are entirely responsible for all content submitted. Wordclay reserves the right to declare any entries ineligible if we determine it is not in accordance with the terms stated on Wordclay.com Terms of Use or Poetry Contest Terms and Conditions.

2.A. Judging the SINGLE POEM Contest:

All of the submitted poems will be reviewed. Judges reserve the right to disqualify contestants that do not comply with the Terms and Conditions for the contest. The winners of the Single Poem contest will be selected during a two-round process:

Round 1: All material must be submitted before February 4, 2008 to qualify for judging. In the first round, a panel of judges will review the poems. They will select 100 poems as finalists based on the poem's originality, creative imagination, characterization, artistic quality and the adherence to line limits. The 100 finalist poems selected will move on to the next round and the winning poems will be included in a Wordclay published Anthology.

Any styles are welcome as long as the submission complies with these terms and conditions. All decisions of the judges are final. More than one poem by the same writer can advance to the next round.

Note: While we respect the right of individuals to freely express themselves in poetry, we do not accept poetry that is explicitly offensive. Therefore, we ask that poets who submit their work to our contests to be considerate of this policy.

Round 2: The 100 finalists' poems will be reviewed by an independent board of finalist judges comprised of accomplished poets, editors and/or writers, who will be disclosed on www.wordclay.com. Click here for more detailed information about the already disclosed judges, although more may be added in the future. Entries are judged on the basis of originality, creative imagination, characterization, artistic quality and the adherence to line limits. All decisions of the judges are final. The finalist judges will select the Grand Prize winner and Runner Up. Poems by the same writer/contestant are not eligible to win both the Grand Prize and Runner Up prize.

On February 25, 2008 the winners will be announced. Winners will be notified via e-mail and we will post information about the winners on www.wordclay.com.

2.B. Judging the BOOK OF POETRY Contest:

All of the submitted collections of poetry will be reviewed up to 60 pages. A collection over 60 pages will not be disqualified, but any additional material past 60 pages will not be reviewed by a judge. Judges reserve the right to disqualify contestants that do not comply with the Terms and Conditions for the contest. The winners of the Book of Poems contest will be selected according to a two-round process:

Round 1: All material must be submitted for before February 4, 2008. In the first round, a panel of judges will review all poems and select 50 finalists based on the poem's originality, creative imagination, characterization, artistic quality and the adherence to line limits.

Any styles of poetry are welcome as long as the submission complies with these terms and conditions. All decisions of the judges are final.

Round 2: The poems of the 50 finalists will be reviewed by an independent board of finalist judges comprised of accomplished poets, editors and/or writers, who will be disclosed on www.wordclay.com. Click here for more detailed information about the already disclosed judges, although more may be added in the future. Entries are judged on the basis of originality, creative imagination, characterization, artistic quality and the adherence to line limits. All decisions of the judges are final. The finalist judges will select the Grand Prize and Runner Up winners.

On February 25, 2008 the winners will be announced. Winners will be notified via e-mail and we will post winner information on www.wordclay.com.

3.A. Prizes for the SINGLE POEM Contest:

One Grand Prize winner will receive:

$500 cash
Their poem will be the featured selection in the Anthology of the top 100 poems
A printed and bound copy of the published Anthology of the top 100 poems

One Runner Up will receive:

$250 cash
A printed and bound copy of the published Anthology of the top 100 poems

The 100 finalists will receive:

A printed and bound copy of the published Anthology of the top 100 poems

All non-finalist participants will receive:

An electronic copy (e-book) of the published Anthology of the top 100 poems

All participants will receive a certificate of achievement.

Notification: All prize winners will be notified via e-mail and posted on www.Wordclay.com.

No transfer or substitution of prizes permitted, and no more than the stated number of prizes will be awarded. Winners are solely responsible for all costs or expenses not specifically exempted herein, and any and all applicable federal, state or local taxes on the value of their prizes. Poems by the same writer/contestant are not eligible to win both the Grand Prize and Runner Up prize. Contestants with more than one finalist poem will receive a hard copy book for each finalist poem. The winners’ poems will be included in a book published through www.Wordclay.com that will be available for public purchase. The contest’s winners will be featured on www.Wordclay.com and may be in the featured spotlight. By the act of accepting a prize, winners agree to the release of his/her name, pen name, likeness and city and state of residence for potential publicity purposes and use on Wordclay's Web site, except where permitted by law.

Wordclay is under no obligation to publish every poem that is entered and can disqualify an entry at any time. The contestant is under no obligation whatsoever to purchase a copy of the publication in which his or her poem(s) may appear.

Due to formatting restrictions within the finished anthology, www.Wordclay.com retains the right to reformat the poetry for size and placement. Though we will make every effort to preserve line breaks and stanza breaks, we will not be able to guarantee retention of format from the writer’s original file. Please keep this in mind if submitting “concrete poetry.”

3.B. Prizes for BOOK OF POETRY Contest:

One Grand Prize winner will receive:

$500 cash
25 free books (shipping and handling included)
Publishing package that includes: Custom Typesetting Interior ($249 value), Custom Cover Design ($999 value), 1 Year Softcover Channel Distribution ($99 value) and Press Release Composition ($149 value).

One Runner Up will receive:

$250 cash
10 free books (shipping and handling included)
Publishing package that includes: Custom Typesetting Interior ($249 value), Custom Cover Design ($999 value) and 1 Year Softcover Channel Distribution ($99 value).

All participants will receive a certificate of achievement.

Notification: All prize winners will be notified via e-mail and posted on www.Wordclay.com.

No transfer or substitution of prizes permitted, and no more than the stated number of prizes will be awarded. Upon winning, it is the responsibility of the writer to supply the entire poetry book they wish to publish. It is entirely the contestant's responsibility to supply enough content to reach the 48 page minimum. Winners are solely responsible for all costs or expenses not specifically exempted herein, and any and all applicable federal, state or local taxes on the value of their prizes. By the act of accepting a prize, winners agree to the release of his/her name, pen name, likeness and city and state of residence for potential publicity purposes and use on Wordclay's Web site, except where permitted by law.

ALL Wordclay Poetry Contests:

4. Eligibility:

Entrants must be registered with Wordclay to be eligible to win. Void where prohibited by law. Federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Contest is open only to registered users of Wordclay 18 years of age or older or with parental consent. The contest is void in Arizona. Only legal residents of the United States (except residents of Arizona, Puerto Rico and all other Territories and Possessions of the United States), Canada and the United Kingdom are eligible to enter the contest. An eligible writer is permitted to enter both the Single Poem and Book of Poetry contests, but is not eligible to win a Grand or Runner up prize in more than one contest, nor can they win both the Grand and Runner up prize within a contest. Employees of Wordclay and/or Author Solutions Inc. and their families (spouses, parents, children or siblings and their spouses and those who share the same dwelling) are not eligible for the contest. Wordclay respects the privacy of our registered users. By registering and entering this contest, contestants consent to the use of their registration information in accordance with our Privacy Policy. The rights to work(s) submitted by contestants are retained by the author of the work in accordance with the stated Terms and Conditions. Submissions must be original material created entirely by the entrant. Wordclay may prohibit any entrant from participating in this Poetry Contest or any future promotion offered if, in Wordclay's sole discretion, the contestant has: tampered with the entry process, the operation of the poetry contest or Web site; disregards the rules of the contest; is rude or shows poor sportsmanship; is disruptive, annoying, abusive, harassing or threatening in any way towards Wordclay or any other writer. The poetry contest may be terminated without prior notice at any time after it begins; however if such a termination should occur, all prizes will be awarded to winners according to the rankings at the time.

5. Limitation of Liability:

Wordclay is in no way responsible for any of the content or typographical errors in any contest-related materials or published works. Wordclay is under no obligation to publish every poem that is entered and can disqualify an entry at any time. The contestant is under no obligation whatsoever to purchase a copy of the publication in which his or her poem(s) may appear. Due to formatting restrictions within a published book, www.Wordclay.com retains the right to reformat the poetry for size and placement. Though we will make every effort to preserve line breaks and stanza breaks, we will not be able to guarantee retention of format from the writer’s original file. Wordclay is not required to pay any form of royalties associated with the sale of the anthology to authors with poems included in the anthology. Wordclay is not responsible for any individual's inability to enter this contest, including but not limited to: failed software or hardware transmissions; unavailable network, server, telephone or other connections; errors of any kind, whether human, electronic, or mechanical regarding lost, misdirected, late, incomplete or damaged entries; or for any damage to any computer, network, hardware or software related to or resulting from participation. Wordclay reserves the right to end or modify the contest if fraud or technical failures compromise the integrity of the contest as determined by our sole discretion. In the event that the contest is ended, all eligible entries already received will be ranked. Contestants agree to the following: Wordclay, their promotion partners, affiliated companies, agencies and their employees are not liable for injury, losses, damages or costs of any kind resulting from participation in this contest, or in results of accepting or using the prize awarded. By entering the poetry contest, participants agree to be bound by these rules.

6. Winners:

Winners will be posted on www.wordclay.com when they are determined.

7. Contest Sponsor:

Wordclay, 1663 Liberty Drive, Suite 200, Bloomington, IN 47403

Send general questions to customersupport@wordclay.com.

(Please, do not send submissions to this physical address or e-mail address).