BATTERED MOONS POETRY COMPETITION 2012

FINALS JUDGE: MICHAEL SYMMONS ROBERTS

Michael was born in 1963 in Preston, Lancashire, UK.

His poetry has won the Whitbread Poetry Award, and been shortlisted for the Griffin International Poetry Prize, the Forward Prize, and twice for the T.S. Eliot Prize. He has received major awards from the Arts Council and the Society of Authors.

His continuing collaboration with composer James MacMillan has led to two BBC Proms choral commissions, song cycles, music theatre works and operas for the Royal Opera House, Scottish Opera, Boston Lyric Opera and Welsh National Opera. Their WNO commission – ‘The Sacrifice’ – won the RPS Award for opera.

His broadcast work includes ‘A Fearful Symmetry’ - for Radio 4 - which won the Sandford St Martin Prize, and ‘Last Words’ commissioned by Radio 4 to mark the first anniversary of 9/11.

He has published two novels, and is Professor of Poetry at Manchester Metropolitan University.

http://www.symmonsroberts.com/index.asp

Preliminary judge: Cristina Newton.

RULES AND GUIDELINES
Prizes
1st Prize £300
2nd Prize £150
3rd Prize £75
Four commendations (no cash prizes)
All three winning poems and four commendations will appear in the Battered Moons Poetry Pamphlet 2012
Fees
Each poem submitted costs £3, or £10 for 4 entries.
TO ENTER ONLINE visit http://www.batteredmoons.blogspot.com or http://www.batteredmoons.com
Postal entries should be sent to: Swindon Festival of Literature,Lower Shaw Farm, Shaw, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN5 5PJ with a cheque payable to Swindon Festival of Literature, or enter and pay online. Please write your name and phone number on the back of cheques.
General
~ Open to any UK residents aged 18 or over at the time of entering.
~ The closing date is 29th February 2012.
~ There is no limit on the number of entries a single entrant can make.
~ All entries will be considered anonymously. Michael Robert Symmons will then select the winners from the shortlisted poems. Preliminary judge Cristina Newton will read all the entries.
~ Postal entries will only be accepted when accompanied by an entry form (forms may be photocopied) and payment. One entry form may cover multiple entries.
~ Entries will not be returned, so please keep a copy.
~ Under no circumstances can alterations be made to poems once entered.
~ Fees cannot be refunded.
~ If you would like confirmation that your postal entry has been received, please include a stamped addressed envelope/postcard marked ACKNOWLEDGEMENT with your entry.
~ Online entries made via the website will receive automatic confirmation at the time of submission.
~ The staff are unable to confirm the content of documents submitted online, so please ensure you send the correct file.
~ The competition organisers reserve the right to change the judging panel without notice and not award prizes if, in the judges' opinion, such an action is justified.
~ The judges' decision is final and neither the judges nor staff will enter into any correspondence.
~ Entry implies acceptance of all the rules. Failure to comply with the entry requirements will result in disqualification.
~ Results: All email entrants will receive an email notification of results. To receive a print version, enclose a stamped addressed envelope marked 'RESULTS'. Alternatively, check the website www.batteredmoons.com or http://batteredmoons.blogspot.com for details after May 2012.
Poems
~ All poems must have a title and must not exceed 40 lines in length (excluding title and line spaces).
~ Entries must show no name, address or identifying marks other than the title.
~ Entries must be written in English and the original work of the entrant.
~ Entries can be on any subject.
~ Entries must not have been published, self-published, published on a website or broadcast before May 2012.
~ Handwritten entries cannot be accepted. Entries should be typed in black ink on A4 paper. Poems may span two securely stapled pages but pages must not be printed double sided. Please do not staple separate
entries.

Winners
~ Winners and commendations will be notified by 27th April 2012 and invited to an award ceremony at the Swindon Festival of Literature on 11th May 2012 where they will read their winning poems.
~ Prize winning poems and four commendations will appear in the Battered Moons Poetry Pamphlet together with a poem by each of the judges.
~ All winners will be asked to provide a biography and photograph that will appear with their winning poem on the Battered Moons website and pamphlet.
~ The list of prizewinners will be displayed on the website after the prize-giving ceremony at the Swindon Festival of Literature on 11th May 2012.
~ The copyright of each poem remains with the author. However, authors of the winning and commended poems, by entering the competition, grant Battered Moons the right to publish and/or broadcast their poem from May 2012.