Interesting question, Matt.
My own opinion, FWIW, is that a poem that's had major revisions is not the same poem as its original version. A new title helps to effect the change too.
Perhaps more to the point - I've found it difficult to actually find certain poems online that have been previously published. In reality, just how much time is a competition judge or an editor going to spend trawling the Internet to see if a poem they like has appeared anywhere else? And even if it has, it's not the end of the world; it very likely means it's a good 'un.
Editors and judges are busy people. I've judged a few poetry comps myself over the years, and I must say it never occurred to me once to search online for poems I chose as the winners or runners-up. There has to be an element of trust.
And finally, on a personal note, ...I get to mention once again (Ahem - sorry, folks) that I've won The Oldie and The Spectator competitions with the same poem! Previously published? Yep, but I didn't lie about it, they never stipulated anything in the first place. Many publications aren't as precious about it as they once were.
Jayne
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