Thanks for your thoughts on this Max, Michael, Brian, Colin, Chris, Melanie and Tim. Some very interesting points have been made!
Firstly, to answer Michael's question as to what prompted this: I've thought about it for years but I noticed that it's one of the rules in the ''Sonnet or Not'' comp, and I'm just intrigued that some competitions employ the rule and others don't, indicating that opinion is divided.
It's not a major issue with me (it hasn't ever stopped me entering a competition, for instance) but I have to say I prefer the rule not to be there!
Melanie, there's no need to feel embarrassed at winning three prizes. Well done!
All the entries that are selected by the judge ought to get the prizes, in my opinion. Rejecting a chosen poem
after the identity of the poet is revealed just isn't fair on the entrant OR the judge and is usually done by the administrator(s):
"Sorry, you can't choose that one -- you'll have to pick another poem now, that you didn't like as much." Hmm...
Chris makes an excellent case here (as did Colin, similarly):
"There's no justice in accepting multiple entries, collecting the multiple fees, then declaring some paid entries ineligible for any prize."
And so does Tim, here:
"I think it would be fairer if the entry fee money were returned to prizewinners for any extra poems of theirs that didn't/couldn't win."
I was going to make a further observation but I'll save it for later... this is enough for now!