RAR HOMAGE TO THE POET CONTEST – The William Carlos Williams Prize for Poetry

BIOGRAPHIES:

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/william-carlos-williams

https://poets.org/poet/william-carlos-williams

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Carlos_Williams

GUIDELINES (NOT RULES

1. The winning poem will receive a $200 award and will be announced on the home page of the RAR website.
2. A First Runner-up poem will receive a $50 award and will be announced on the home page of the RAR Website.
3. The poets whose poems are selected as Winner and First Runner-up will be invited to submit a chapbook or (full) book length manuscript of poetry for publication.
4. 4 additional poems will receive $25 runner-up awards and will be announced on the home page of the RAR website.
5. Honorable mention poems will be announced on the home page of the RAR Website.
6. The sole criteria for selecting Winner, First Runner-up, Runner-up and Honorable Mention poems is the extent of the poem’s impact on our editors. Poems that enthrall and move us the most with their ideas, images, language and tradecraft are the poems that will be selected.
7. The Contest Winner will be presented on the RAR home page as a Featured Writer and will be given a featured artist page that will include up to 25 poems. https://therawartreview.com/featured-artist-pages-all-art-forms/ .
8. There are no rules of form and content. As described above, the sole criteria for selecting a winner is the power of the emotional/psychological/spiritual impact on editors reading the poem.
9. There are no particular trade-craft requirements. Single or double space, left-center-right justification, long lines/short lines, standard use of punctuation or not, etc.
10. TYPOS – we understand it is difficult to catch all typos. NOTE: we will presume an “error” is volitional, so for the purpose of maintaining your intent for the poem it is in your best interest to review carefully, get help from other readers, etc.. The Raw Art Review offers a manuscript preparation service. Email us at the following email if you would like to help you with basic copy editing: editor@therawartreview.com.
11. Review of poems is blind. Please do not put your name or any other identifying information on your pages.
12. The BIO is not mandatory at this time but feel free to include a BIO with your cover letter. You can also use the cover letter space provided on the submission form to discuss your poem or skip the cover letter entirely. What you write as a cover letter will have no bearing on selection for the prize. The cover letter will only be read after selections are made. We love reading your cover letters though – please feel free to expound.
13. Editors are prohibited from rejecting a poem on first read. All poems get at least 2 reads before a decision is made.
14. Editors assume you are smarter than we are. We will strive to understand your intention ; stay open-minded and try to avoid imposing our presumptions on your work.
15. We will never use irresponsible and self-aggrandizing language to describe your work like “purple writing” or “cliché”, or “your center justification is a gimmick”.
16. We will accept poems on a revolving basis during the submission period as blog posts on The Raw Art Review’s front page and for inclusion in The Raw Art Review’s next journal volume. This first “acceptance” will include the writer’s work on the short-list for the contest winner.
17. We value the slush pile. (Not a derogatory term among our editors). With your permission, a poem that is declined may be returned to the slush pile for future consideration.
18. 3 poems per entry. Multiple submission entries are fine but the fee applies to each additional submission of up to 3 poems.
19. We accept Word and PDF formats. We prefer Word Format and will request the file be re-sent in Word for poems that are accepted for publication.
20. Simultaneous submission is fine. Please notify us if a poem is accepted elsewhere.
21. Previously published poems are eligible provided the submitter owns the rights to re-publish. We are happy to recognize the original publisher upon your request.
22. Submission Deadline is February 28, 2021
23. Submission fee is $15. We are offering an expedite add-on fee of $5 with selection to the shortlist for the prize and acceptance for publication in The Raw Art Review completed in 2 weeks or less.
24. You must use Submittable for submissions
25. We recognize that the fee may be a deterrent for some submitters who are challenged by financial hardship. We consider a limited number of requests for financial aid in covering the entrance fee. Please send an email to editor@therawartreview.com to make a request for financial aid. PLEASE NOTE: RAR has its own financial challenges, so please do not request financial aid unless it is absolutely necessary. Thank you.
26. RAR has implemented a “3 Strikes and WE are out” rule. If you have been declined for publication in 3 OR MORE SUBMISSIONS, including contests, please notify us at our email address – editor@therawartreview.com. Your next submission to any RAR Journal Issue or Contest will be free, and all of our editors will be notified to pay particular attention to your submission. You will get a personal and detailed response to our decision – if you want one. NOTE – This is 3 separate submissions – not 3 works submitted as part of a single submission.