Eligibility:

The Shadow Poetry contest is open to all poets over the age of 13 and from around the world. The Shadow Poetry owners, Shadows Ink Poetry Contest judges, and the immediate family members of the owners and judges panel are not eligible. Poetry contest submissions must be unpublished, not under consideration elsewhere, and be the original work of the poet. Contest entries are limited to 10 per poet per year.

Prizes:

Upon judges' final decisions, Shadow Poetry will award a total of 3 poetry winners the prizes listed below. Also, winners will receive a poetry certificate, a printed copy of their poem, and a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place ribbon.

1st Place: $100.00, Chapbook Publication Deal, and a Shadows Ink Chapbook*
2nd Place: $75.00 and a Shadows Ink Chapbook*
3rd Place: $35.00 and a Shadows Ink Chapbook*

*Shadows Ink Poetry Chapbook: Series 2, Volume 6

Chapbook Publication Deal includes 20 free copies of a personalized chapbook put together free of charge by Shadow Poetry of the winner's works. These books can contain up to 40 pieces of poetry (depending on length) and paid 25% royalties on every chapbook sold through the Shadow Poetry website. A publication contract will be sent out with winnings. For more information on the guidelines to Shadow Poetry's free publication deals, please read the FAQ & Extras page for detailed information.

The top forty scoring poems from each contest will grace the pages of a Shadows Ink Chapbook Series 2 - Volume 6. Each poet appearing within this chapbook will receive one free copy of this book after the yearly winners are announced.

Poem Entry Requirements:

Submit up to 10 poems, 24 lines maximum each, 60 characters maximum line length, on any subject, free verse or traditional. All poems must have a title of no more than 50 characters in length. Shadow Poetry will only accept poems in English, and entries submitted in all capital letters will be immediately disqualified.

Sorry, but previous winners may not enter the same poem with which they have already won any Shadow Poetry contest. We also ask for poets to refrain from entering the same poems that they have previously entered into a Shadows Ink Poetry Contest.


Fees:

There is a small entry fee of $5.00 (US dollars) per poem. These fees may be paid by mail or PayPal (online payment service). There is a limit of 10 poems that may be entered per poet, but each poem entry must be paid individually if using the PayPal payment option. All entries will be assigned an Entry Identification Number. This number will be mailed/emailed to you upon receipt of your contest entry and payment. Deadline to receive payments/entries is December 31, 2008. Should payments be made or postmarked after this date, or poems not meet the stated requirements, the entry fees will not be refunded, and the poem(s) will not be considered for judging. Submitted poems that come without an entry fee payment will be disqualified. Shadow Poetry will not accept any foreign currencies as payment. Cash or International money orders may be used for international entries.

If sending entry fees via mail, Shadow Poetry accepts cash, money orders, cashiers check, and personal checks. All fees paid must be in the form of US dollars. Shadow Poetry will not refund entry fees under any circumstances. All entries are final.


Poetry Entries Via PayPal:

1. Before entering the Shadows Ink Poetry Contest via PayPal.com, (an online payment service) you must be a PayPal member. PayPal allows you to pay anyone who has a valid email address with a credit/debit card or checking account.

2. If you are a registered member, you will need to sign in to PayPal.com to complete your poetry entry transaction. Please only use the PayPal link on the "Shadows Ink Contest Entry Methods" page to enter.

3. The entry fee of $5.00 will already be entered. After completing the transaction, you will be sent to an entry form.

4. You will have to repeat these steps for each poem you wish to enter. For more information send a message to Contests or view PayPal Screenshots.

5. All transactions are final. Shadow Poetry will not refund poetry entry fees for any reason.

6. Only one poem entry per PayPal transaction. Please see #4.


Entering Via Mail:

1. Print out the Mail in entry form.

2. Fill out the entry form with your current and accurate information.

3. Include Poem(s) - Contest entries must be typed and submitted in duplicate with poet’s name, address, phone number, and email address (if applicable) in the upper left-hand corner of only one copy. Repeat method for multiple submissions.

4. Include payment $5.00 for each poem entered along with a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope for contest results. Include an additional SASE for entry receipt (optional). If no SASE included for receipt, Shadow Poetry will email an entry confirmation to the contestant.

5. Make personal checks or money orders payable to "Shadow Poetry". Cash payments are accepted, but will be sent at your own risk. Bounced/Returned checks will be subjected to a $20.00 fee. Shadow Poetry is not responsible for lost entries or payments. Deadline for entry: December 31, 2008.

Mail Entries to:

Shadow Poetry
Shadows Ink Poetry Contest
1209 Milwaukee Street
Excelsior Springs, MO 64024

6. Entries will not be returned.


Contest Deadline:

Contest deadline is December 31, 2008. Winners will be announced on February 1, 2009. Future contest will be held once per year until further notice.


Judging/Judges:

Entries are judged upon a point scale for uniqueness, artistic quality, structure, content, and effectiveness. Seven contest judges review entries for the Shadows Ink Poetry Contest. They are and have been members and volunteers of/for the Shadow Poetry site for a long period of time. Each judge is a published poet, and is well versed in their craft. All decisions of the judges are final.


"Shadows Ink" Chapbooks:

Shadows Ink Chapbooks will contain the top forty poems (via judges scoring) entered into each Shadow Poetry contest. These books will be available for purchase after the announcement of the judges' final rulings. Each poet appearing within this chapbook will receive one free copy of this book after the yearly winners are announced. Additional chapbooks may be purchased for $5.00 each plus shipping.

Definition of a "Shadows Ink" Chapbook - A decoratively covered 5.5" X 8.5" staple-bound poetry booklet containing a table of contents and the top forty poems (by judges ruling) entered into the Shadows Ink Poetry contest.

By entering the Shadows Ink Poetry Contest, each participant gives Shadow Poetry permission to use his/her poem in the Shadows Ink Chapbook should his/her poem be one of the top forty entries per judges' rulings. Should the poet not want his/her poem in the publication, the poet should not enter the Shadows Ink Poetry Contest.

Each poet displayed within these chapbooks will retain the copyrights to his/her work, and are allowed and welcome to publish his/her personal poem(s) anywhere they choose at a later date.

All proceeds from the chapbooks will go to fund the Shadow Poetry website. The authors of the poems published in these publications are not entitled to royalties from each copy sold.


Rights:

All poems remain the property of the poet/author. By submitting a poem for this contest, the poet may also be eligible for the publication in Shadow Poetry's "Shadows Ink" Chapbook. Only the top forty poems from every contest will be featured in these chapbooks, and receive one free copy. The poet is under no obligation what so ever to purchase additional copies of the publication in which his/her poem may appear. The poet understands, however, that by entering his/her poem into the Shadows Ink Poetry Contest automatically gives Shadow Poetry permission to place his/her poem in the publication (if applicable).


Notification:

All prizewinners will be notified by email and mail. The top three winning entries (poem and name of the poet) will be posted on the Shadow Poetry site. Non-winners will not be notified unless those contestants sent a SASE for contest results/winners list. The artists of top 40 placing poems will be notified of his/her chapbook placement via email and mail (if applicable).