The Singapore Poetry Contest
Since its beginning in October 2013, Singapore Poetry has
the goal of introducing the arts of Singapore to a general American
audience. Operating out of New York City, it aims to cultivate dialogue
and understanding between the two countries. To celebrate Singapore’s
50th year of political independence this year, Singapore Poetry will
seek American perspectives on the island-state by holding a contest for
the best poem in English about Singapore. The contest is open to anyone living in the USA who is not a Singaporean.
The
poem may be about any aspect of Singapore — for instance, an OkCupid
profile, an old black-and-white movie, Singapore noodles, a recurring
nightmare, the orchid Vanda Miss Joaquim, a family heirloom — but it
must have the word “Singapore” in it. It does not have to be celebratory
in tone, but it must possess the qualities of a good poem, nicely
defined by Dylan Thomas as “a contribution to reality.” For a good
example, read Vijay Seshadri’s "Light Verse" from his Pulitzer Prize-winning collection 3 Sections.
Awards
of USD100, 50 and 20 will go to the top three winners. The winning
poems will be published on Singapore Poetry; non-winning poems will be
considered for publication as well. The judge is the curator of
Singapore Poetry, Jee Leong Koh. Friends and associates are welcomed to
submit. Judging will be based solely on poetic merit. Singapore Poetry
reserves the right not to make any or all awards, should the quality of
entries not merit them.
Contest
entry is free. Please submit a maximum of three poems. Only unpublished
poems will be considered. Posting on weblog, Facebook and other social
media does not constitute publication. Simultaneous submissions are
acceptable, provided you inform Singapore Poetry if your poem is
accepted elsewhere. Please email your submission to:
The poem(s) must be pasted into the body of the email, together with a
short cover letter giving your name, mailing address, and brief
biographical note.
The deadline for submissions is June 1, 2015. Results
will be announced in August and the winning poems published in the
run-up to Singapore’s National Day on August 9.
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