Poetry is a form of art that captures the attention of many writers and readers at the same time. Due to increased popularity and demand, writers have emerged in all directions and they are all working to ensure that they bring new ideas to the table when it comes to poetry. These new ideas vary from one poet to another and that is often what brings about the uniqueness of these poems. If you are a budding poet, then you should consider participating in poetry contests. These competitions are a great place for both seasoned and beginner writers. As soon as you develop an interest to write poetry, start practicing and prepare for the poetry competitions. Eventually, by the time the competitions come, you will be a strong contender for the win. As you set up a strategy on how to win these poetry competitions, you need to consider and adhere to the following guidelines;
1. What type of poetry are you doing?
Before you even register for free poetry contests, you need to know where your strengths are. Are you a free verse poet or a rhyming verse type of poet? These two forms of poetry differ in one way or the other. This means that it is important for you to look at the type of poetry that the organisers of the poetry event are interested in. If the style of the competition does not match your style, then you should be patient and wait to find another competition which will be better suited for your needs.
2. Stand out
Poetry is an art form and this means that you have to be unique so that people can engage with your ideas. This is why you always need to put your creative foot forward when participating in any free poetry contests. You need to be very choosy with the type of words you use. The truth is you would like to be unique but this doesn’t mean that you use vocabularies that are too complex. This is due to the fact that it may not be perceived well by other readers or even judges. Use words that are easier to remember and at the same time words that will help pass the message and at the same time words that will put a flow to your poem.
3. Never forget the rules
Just like any other writing competition, poetry contests also have rules. These rules can either help you get closer to winning or put you out of the winning bracket. You need to make sure you have read the rules and understood them. In addition, you can make inquiries wherever you feel like you haven’t understood.
4. Deadlines
One common mistake that people make when writing poems is that they wait for the deadline to arrive before they can begin working on their poems. This is a very dangerous habit since it often leads to poor work due to rushed writing. If you give yourself enough time to work on your submission, then you will be able to recognise any mistakes and correct them in good time.
