[CLOSED]Fall 2016 Poetry Contest

[Schiltzberg]

Hello, all! I have created this poetry contest because, as far as I am aware, NationStates does not have any other poetry contests available at this time. Maybe if we have success here, we can create a tradition of poetry contests to follow!

Rules

All submissions must be poems in poetic structure. There are no restrictions on rhyme or rhythm, though contestants are encouraged to use both. There is no prompt, and the subject of all poems is open to whatever the contestant chooses. There is no word or line restriction, so the contestant may submit a poem as long or as short as he would like. All poems must be newly written; all others will not be accepted. All entries must be in English. The deadline for submissions will be November 30, 2016, unless the judges of the contest decide to allot more time for submissions. There will be a panel of judges made up of three judges, and these judges will be responsible for grading the submissions, according to the rubric below. There is no limit on the number of contestants in this contest. No contestant may enter more than one poem into the contest, and no judge may enter a poem into the contest. The poems will be graded according to the rubric below, using a 100 point scale, according to the following categories: subject, creativity, language control, structure, grammar, and a bonus category. The winner will be the contestant whose poem has the highest averaged score from the three judges. In the case of a tie, the three judges would vote on which contestant deserves to be the winner, and the one with the most votes will win.

Rubric

Code: Select all

[b]Subject:[/b] /20
[b]Creativity:[/b] /30
[b]Language Control:[/b] /20
[b]Structure:[/b] /15
[b]Grammar:[/b] /5
[b]Bonus:[/b] /10

[b]Total:[/b] /100

Subject is to be graded based off of the creativity of the choice of the topic by the contestant. Points may be deducted if the subject is unclear or not steady throughout the entire poem.

Creativity is to be graded based off of the uniqueness of the poem, including anything that makes the poem memorable, significant, or more interesting than the other entries.

Language control is to be graded based off of the use and mastery of the English language. This includes word choice, use of figurative devices, such as simile and metaphor, and overall capturing of the reader's attention by use and mastery of the English language.

Structure is to be graded based on the layout of the poem. Points may be deducted for poor rhythm, lack of rhymes or forced rhymes, or if the structure of the poem is inconsistent or hard to follow.

Grammar points are to be deducted if the entry contains grammatical errors, misspellings, or typos, at the individual judge's discretion. Judges are allowed to deduct grammar points for use of slang, though they are not required to.

Bonus points may be given to boost the score of an entry that the judge feels is deserving of more points than it was given by the rubric. A judge is not required to give any bonus points.

Participants and Judges

Sign ups are open until the submission deadline on November 30, 2016, and there are no vacancies in the panel of judges. Volunteers for submissions are appreciated. Thank you.

Judges:
Schiltzberg
Red Alert 2-Transylvania
Lady Scylla

Sign ups:
Jovian Socialist Republic
Anollasia
Thranon
Luminesa
Candro
Palmyrion
Bhikkustan
Sankami
Fephilonia
Techno-Titania
Deamonopolis
Bodegraven
Gaiahan
Ethane
The Grene Knyght
Astrolinium
Olivaero
Natanians and Nosts
Havl

Submissions:
"Cry of the Innocent Victims" by Bhikkustan
"High Energy" by Deamonopolis
"Slave to a Beauty" by Anollasia
"Mirror" by Gaiahan
"The Innocent Must Suffer" by Thranon
"Fade to Black" by The Grene Knyght
"Together" by Astrolinium
Untitled by Techno-Titania
"Not Proud" by Bodegraven
"In The Garden" by Luminesa
"Science in Rhyme" by Fephilonia
Untitled by Olivaero
"Maybe?" by Natanians and Nosts
"Sonnet for When I'm Afraid of the Dark" by Havl

The submissions are currently under judgement, and the results will be posted when the judges are finished judging.

[Jovian Socialist Republic]

Tag.

[Red Alert 2-Transylvania]

I'd like to submit myself as a judge,please!

[Anollasia]

Joining as a participant.

[Schiltzberg]

Sign ups have been updated. Still looking for one more judge and hopefully a lot more participants.

[Thranon]

I HOPEFULLY will be able to enter... *glares at notebook with latest poetic disaster written in it*

[Schiltzberg]

Bump

[USS Monitor]

Bump

Since I got too distracted to do a short story contest, I'm going to give this thread my blessing as a substitute and sticky it. This way you don't have to bump.

[Schiltzberg]

Bump

Since I got too distracted to do a short story contest, I'm going to give this thread my blessing as a substitute and sticky it. This way you don't have to bump.

Thank you! I greatly appreciate this.

[Lady Scylla]

I've got loads of time, so I wouldn't mind being a judge.

[Thranon]

I'm starting to get my poetic gears moving again. Count me in as a participant!

[Schiltzberg]

Signups updated. As a note for the participants, it is not too early to submit your entry, and in fact, the sooner you post it, the better. I will link all entries to the respective participant in the opening post when the poems are posted. Thank you and have fun! We are still looking for a lot more sign ups to make this a lot more fun!

To get everybody motivated, I will post this Halloween inspired spooky story poem to get the creativity rolling. Your entry does not have to be a spooky story, but it can be.

One dark night in bleak December,
The night grew cold by the dying ember,
And yes, it's true that it was dark,
Except the glowing of one spark
That danced its way around the room.
It must have felt more like a tomb.

Now please stop reading, and here is why:
I just need to clarify
That I'm not Edgar Poe and don't want to be
A drunk dead in the gutter indecently,
Just because I wrote a story that was at night.
This is my story to write.

Every horror story is repeated,
And you can guess the ending before you're seated
At the table to read the first letter.
It's like how every burnout wears the same sweater,
Every slut wears the same dress,
And every only child makes the same mess.

So follow me, and I'm your leader.
If you weren't a follower, you wouldn't be a reader,
Such harshness I don't intend,
And I promise that I won't offend,
But there is content very gory
In the tale of this story.

Now, I won't beat around the bush;
I'm going to go ahead and push
A scary thought behind your frown
Of a terrible demonic clown
That would cause many a fright
On that dark December night.

The clown was chilly by the fire,
And thought it fitting to retire,
And lay there almost in a nap,
When suddenly, he heard a tap.
The clown looked back behind his chair,
And heard a creaking in the stair.

Just then, a little boy had just come down
Into the presence of the demonic clown.
The boy saw and was terrified
By the clown, and was torn up inside.
The clown got up from where he'd laid
And told the boy not to be afraid.

Out of fear, the boy grabbed his knife
And took the demonic clown's life.
He'd wedged the knife under the clown's throat,
And it had punctured through his throat,
And blood spilled out of the clown's neck;
There was no pulse to check.

Just before the bleeding ceased,
The boy began to start a feast,
And he ate and went to town
On the body of the demonic clown.
He left the clown dead as a stone,
All of the flesh cleared from his bone.

Now, I warned you it was gory,
This surprising, chilling story.
If you're surprised, don't be ashamed;
You just judged a story by its name.
You didn't know that sometimes we hide
The plot of what's really inside.

[Luminesa]

Tag! I has poems! How many can I submit? :3

[Candro]

I would like to participate

[Palmyrion]

Participating boy.

Choose your language: Filipino, English, or both.

[Schiltzberg]

Tag! I has poems! How many can I submit? :3

You can only have one official submission per contest, but I would love if you sent me your other ones via tg, because I would love to read them. :3

I would like to participate

Good!

Participating boy.

Choose your language: Filipino, English, or both.

Well, the rubric says that all poems must be submitted in English, because, though I cannot speak for all of our esteemed judges, I certainly cannot speak Filipino, so that would create a conflict when we, the judges, go to grade these. Because of this, please make sure all submissions are in English. Thank you.

[Bhikkustan]

How do we submit?

[Sankami]

I'd love to join as a participant

[Schiltzberg]

How do we submit?

You can just post your entry on this thread, and specify that it is your official and final entry. Edits can be made prior to the deadline, which is November 30. Just type up your entry and post it on here, and I will put a hyperlink to your name, so the judges can see it.

I'd love to join as a participant

Yay!

[Fephilonia]

I'd like to join! Do we submit here?

[Techno-Titania]

Please don't be a chump,
Though all know Clinton's corrupt,
Do not vote for Trump

[Bhikkustan]

Cry of the Innocent Victims

They came for us, though we bore no arms
No weapons, no secrets dangerous to them
But we were in the way
Our ancestral homes, inhabited for generations
Suspected of the remotest chance
That their enemies lay among us
And so, like lambs we were slain
Bodies scattered across the town
We did not bear them ill will
Not until they gave it to us

And why were they here?
A little conflict on the other side
Far from their borders
Yet they were scared
Afraid of words, of ideas
Afraid that the words would catch
Would spread further
So they had to come for war
Their empire was at stake

The war went badly
For you can kill a man
But an idea cannot die
And the land itself was against them
The trees hid their enemies
The rivers became highways for their foes
So they began to make war with earth
The innocent became a target
Every bush and root an enemy
Their paranoia gave birth to twisted things
Torturous airs, burning skies
All manner of infernal creations

They came to us
Death in their eyes
No remorse, no kindness at all
Stony hearts guarded against compassion
Their weapons spitting death
And we, the innocents
Those caught in the crossfire
Died in our droves
A necessary evil, they said

But for all their flames
Their tortures, their death
We stood firm
For no matter what they inflicted
What they spread on virgin lands
It aided the cause of their foes
Enemies appeared at home
Critics of the slaughter
The empire decided to stop
But our bodies remained
Dismembered, robbed of life
But not forgotten

For as long as our memory survives
So shall we
A reminder of the evils possible
Of the darkness in men's hearts
We may be gone
But our legacy remains
The victims of unspeakable horror
A stark statement to the empire
The one who perpetrated those acts
On that fateful day
March 16, 1968

Does it need a title?

[Deamonopolis]

THIS IS MY SERIOUS POEM!!!

* * *

High Energy
A Poem by Yours Truly

Today, a rubicon will be crossed, for today's the day;
That for Trump one last opponent stands in his way -

Lo and behold; that to come to pass; he may not err as in the days of old;
When his glitter was cheap posh; and his copper mere plated gold -

Only a muddy golem stands in his way; a giant on clay feet;
A Leviathan; about which Th. Hobbes wrote -

Seemingly a power beyond the pale; truly a hag most unfair;
She feels mighty confident; she lacks any and all despair -

Verily; she is a woman of ill-repute;
To criticism; true or false; she is definitely mute -

By all that is unholy; Wall Street is her home;
Corporations write her laws; her mind a hidden tome -

Benighted are her manners; sickening her flaws;
Wherever the old hag goes; blood is on her paws -

Old Glory holds its breath as the hag flies to the mouth of faith;
Many feel anxious; many cower in fear; many cling to life so dear -

But despair not honest wanderer; a house most pleasant is near!

The defiant, the bold, the courageous; they see this:
A dream Trump hath built, a towering vision we hold dear -

Yearning for this land of milk and honey is all we do; 'tis our deepest desire;
In our hearts burns this passion; hotter than all the universe's starry fire -

For if the old gods favor the toughest fighter; men of highest moral ground;
They shall grant him this one victory; for which he sacrificed other people's flesh, by the pound.

* * *

My lawyers will find you if I don't win this K THX BAI.

booyah

[Bodegraven]

I will have to dig around a bit but hopefully I can find something good to participate with. This post will serve as a glorified tag-post so I remember to post a poem in here.

[The New World Oceania]

I suggest removing the requirement that submissions be written specifically for this contest. Literary magazines generally require work that's never been published anywhere before, and I'm sure I speak for more than myself when I say I'm not willing to risk the potential for publication for an online contest.