Poetry.com Contest Summary

Share your thoughts about the January 2025 Contest with the community:

https://www.poetry.com/contest-summary/01/2025

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  acronimous

  Just to clarify, the number of views shown doesn’t fully reflect how many voters have seen your poem. We only count views from voters who open the poem for a full read.
  
  That said, most voters check out a good portion of the poem through the preview box before voting, and those interactions don’t count toward the view total. It’s designed this way to help voters go through entries more efficiently while still giving everyone’s work a fair shot. more »

  LikeReply 33 days ago
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    mark.e.s

    Thanks.

    LikeReply3 days ago
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  ericmatrix1

  I really feel like 150 poems is too many. Few of us seem to actually be reading all of them. My contest submissions have averaged like 50 views, by contest end. That's 1/3 of the overall entries. Smh. more »

  LikeReply 15 days ago
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    mark.e.s

    I quickly go through the titles, then when I see one I'm especially curious about, I read the beginning and the end of the poem, and more or less speed read the middle. If I find a poem I want to know more about that rings a note with me, I'll read the whole thing. After I've completed the whole process, I've had actually completely read only a handful of the entries, and I write down the titles so I won't forget for when it comes time to vote. Then I read all of my selections over again. This is how I filter the contest submissions; I don't really have the time and energy to read every single poem from start to finish, but I think I'm being fair in my evaluations. more »

    LikeReply5 days ago
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    ericmatrix1

    Yeah, that's why I think the number of entries should be lower. Probably like half of what they are lol. I mean, I read all of them, but my process is slightly different. I read the whole thing, unless I see noticeable grammar issues or vulgarity and then I stop, because those are just not things I'd vote for lol. Otherwise, I do try to give each poem my full attention, only because I would hope people would do the same for me. more »

    LikeReply 35 days ago
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    mark.e.s

    I'd read them all entirely if I could.

    LikeReply 25 days ago
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    Inactiveuser

    you do realize that the amount of entries also covers the cost of the competition, the lower the entry the lower the prize pool.

    LikeReply 24 days ago
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    mark.e.s

    The prize awards would still have to match what's being promised. The prize payouts would also have to be lowered if the entry number was lowered, or the entry fees would have to be raised. I think it's up to us to shoulder our own investments in the contests. I know there are other ways websites collect money, but in fairness the users have to help pay for the platform to work, and the provider of the service can't go away empty-handed. I'm not saying everything is perfect here, but poetry.com has been positively responsive to me each time I've contacted support, and afterward, now that I had, I've already seen improvements. Compared to other events I've entered in other arenas, the entry cost is low. Everyone might not see it the same. For me it's a great opportunity to learn and grow. I don't mind paying a little for that. I get my poetry published and seen for next to nothing comparatively, and who knows, it could be a stepping stone to something even bigger. more »

    LikeReply 14 days ago
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    ladyygracious

    Making it compulsory for nominees to go through all entries to ensures that everyone's work is appreciated and judged fairly before voting is indeed a great idea. Hence, the measures provided such as categorization, provision of guidelines and setting of a week time frame is a cool one too. Also, I think you having a 50 views average, covering 1/3 of the entries, is cool and fair enough Bro. Even if it were 150 views covering 3/3 of the entries, the winners would still be determined, and it wouldn't make a difference in the outcome.My view though  more »

    LikeReply4 days ago
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    ladyygracious

    Despite having a lot of participants. The measures they've implemented, such as categorization, guidelines, and a timeframe, ensure that nominees can thoroughly review and appreciate each other's work .Having a 50 views average covering 1/3 of the entries is indeed sufficient for making informed decisions during voting. Even if all 150 entries were viewed, the outcome would likely remain the same. It's essential to acknowledge that even a single view is a privilege, not a right. more »

    LikeReply 14 days ago
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    mark.e.s

    I agree with most of that but I can't possibly read every poem. If it was made compulsory, I'd have to withdraw my participation. I have too much going on around me all the time and my own responsibilities to myself to be able to do a full reading and analysis on every poem. I do believe nevertheless I give my own fair shot at doing a good job in spite of my limitations. I have to speed read most of it, and then narrow it down little by little according to what most catches my own interests. more »

    LikeReply 14 days ago
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    ericmatrix1

    I absolutely understand that, and have no problem with it, but it doesn't solve the primary problem that not everyone is seeing all of the entries.
    
    I am reading them all, regardless, but not everyone is. more »

    LikeReply4 days ago
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    ericmatrix1

    Just for clarification, I didn't mention my views to say my work needs more validation. The only reason I mentioned it, was to illustrate that only 1/3 of the participants are even seeing my entry, which means it is likely that most of the entries are getting lower views. This lessens the chance that poems will win, because they are not getting as many eyeballs. I'm just trying to offer constructive criticism and brainstorm to see if there is a way to improve the system, because this is an obvious flaw. more »

    LikeReply 14 days ago
  • 

    mark.e.s

    sorry can't

    LikeReply4 days ago
  • 

    mark.e.s

    We all have the same opportunity to be read, or not to be. Everyone has an equal chance to win as odds would have it, in my estimation, given the number of participants involved and the variety of content.

    LikeReply4 days ago
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    ericmatrix1

    My only point is purely based on numbers. Not that we don't have an equal opportunity, but that our chances of being voted for increase if there are more views of our poem. Just statistical probability.

    LikeReply 14 days ago
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    mark.e.s

    Ok, but as I've said, and others may or may not agree, I cannot read all the poems in their entirety. If it's an odds game, then we're all gambling.

    LikeReply 14 days ago
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    ladyygracious

    Your illustration was well-noted and vividly understood. However, I still believe that the number of eyeballs, whether high or low, doesn't solely determine a poem's winning potential.

    LikeReply 14 days ago
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    mark.e.s

    To anyone in this thread, there are so many variables and possible outcomes involved, IMO I don't think it's even worth worrying about. Let it be!

    LikeReply 14 days ago
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    ladyygracious

    Nevertheless, the quality of a poem, the judge's criteria, and other factors also play a significant role...We can as well work on these areas rather than focusing on number of eyeballs alone dear.

    LikeReply 14 days ago
  • 

    mark.e.s

    hahahahaha!

    LikeReply 14 days ago
  • 

    ladyygracious

    Noted

    LikeReply 14 days ago