[Jayne Osborn]

I wasn't going to mention it, as last year there was a slightly embarrassing thread about it, but then I changed my mind.

The Northampton Literature Group's 14th annual poetry competition has a week to go before the deadline; it's one of the few comps that separates rhyming and free verse poems, which was my idea all those years ago when it started.
The link is here

Martin Parker won the Humour Prize last year and, because we didn't follow through with the results, he was denied an announcement on the sphere of his worthy success - so here it is, belatedly!

John and I hope some of you will enter; it's not free, but the prize money is decent enough. (There's always, in the spirit of these things, loads of rubbish submitted, and few outstanding entries - so you're in with a good chance! )

Thanks,

Jayne

[John Whitworth]

I second that. People who write on the Sphere have an excellent chance. And this means you, Walter. That stuff I heard has an excellent chance in the humour section, and since I'm not judging that I am free to say so.

[Jayne Osborn]

I'll just add that John and I receive the entries as hard copy and they are totally anonymous.

It's sometimes easy to recognise a poet's particular style (though that can be copied!) but, to state 'the bleeding obvious', as Basil Fawlty would say, we pick the ones that are the best. Simple as that

Jayne

[David Anthony]

Shame about the "no previous publication" rule; otherwise I'd have entered something.

[Roger Slater]

Why is the humor prize less than the other prizes?

Now that I see you can enter online or by email, I may give it a shot. I need to find out the status of some things that Light Quarterly accepted but has yet to publish.

[John Whitworth]

Because that's the way it is. Funny poems never win the top prize in open competitions. They sometimes get to be second. That doesn't apply to the great and good Literary Review of course.

[Jayne Osborn]

Right, chaps! ... we've just had a hasty pow-wow at HQ about the rules of entry.

Here's the bottom line to clarify 'previously published':

Any poem will be accepted as long as no payment has previously been received for it, so a lot of your online publication is OK; feel free to submit any of those. (Naturally, that doesn't include any poem in your own book(s), or 'entered in any other comp' i.e. one in which you might receive another big fat cheque for the same poem.)

As for the prize money, it was decided (not unanimously; I lost!) that the Humour Prize would be less money, in order to 'see how it goes', as last year was the first time that category had been included. Hardly surprisingly, it's proved very popular, so next year might be different.

Jayne

[Roger Slater]

Wow, that really opens it up. I take it "no payment" doesn't mean contributor copies? (But I suppose it would include Spectator poems even if I did not accept payment but asked for it to be donated to a charity.)

[Jayne Osborn]

You take it correctly about contributor copies, Bob, and you're right again that it definitely doesn't include an appearance in The Spectator, regardless of what happened to the money!

Realistically, we rely on people's integrity; there are so many outlets for poetry that no one's going to be making a thorough check of them all!

It's a completely honest, fair-and-square outfit that's been running this competition successfully for many years. The awards ceremony is great fun (ask Martin Parker ) and everyone just rejoices in great poetry.

Speech over. Now, the marvel that is Pat Archer will be happy to receive yer pomes!

Jayne

[Duncan Gillies MacLaurin]

I got a commendation last year, so I'm forced to enter again this year.

Duncan