I'll just add that according to the latest Poets & Writers magazine, the judge this time is Mary Jo Salter. If you write formal verse and don't know her work, you should. I think it is always helpful to know who is judging the contest before entering (it gives the person entering better odds, if he or she takes the time to find out something about the judge's own style). One can't assume that judges like only poems like their own, but they certainly can't be assumed to dislike things in their own style. Contests that hide the identity of the judge may increase their own bottom line, but at the cost of luring in contestants who may be wasting their time and money. The odds are bad enough in the best of circumstances.
Susan
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