Sensations Magazine welcomes anyone ages 13-19 (at the time of submission) to rise to the challenge of writing well-crafted poems that look at the past, as well as imagine the future.
For parents: If published, your son or daughter's poem(s) will make its/their way into the collection of The New York Public Library on 5th and 42nd Street, and the collections of the following university libraries, all of which are currently receiving Sensations Magazine: Brown, College of William & Mary, Cornell, Fordham, Harvard, Princeton, Rutgers, University of California at Berkeley, University of Pennsylvania, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Yale. Locally, it will get to the shelves of Sussex Main Library, Sussex-Wantage Library, and a few other local and county libraries in New Jersey. That can look very good on a college application.
For our entering poets: The process you go through, and what you learn in creating and discussing these poems, is more important than whether or not you win this contest. We wish the best of luck to all entrants. If you wish to submit poetry, here are your two options:
OPTION 1
$20 total entry fee, payable to "The Six Centuries Club"
Allows for submission of four poems, receipt of poetry book.
Two poems must be in different forms, two poems must be in free verse.
Poems in form may be a choice of sonnet, sestina, or villanelle. There are many kinds of sonnet forms, and any of them are fine for your submission. You may find out about these forms on the Internet, through books, or through your teachers or parents.
Your four poems must be on the following topics: (1) September 11, 2001; (2) America, 2000-2010; (3) Imagining America, 2011-2100; (4) one "free verse" poem on any theme.
Each poem must be 50 lines or less.
Poems in form should strictly stay in the meter, rhyme scheme, and line order appropriate to that form.
You may submit fewer than all four poems, but you must pay the full entry fee.
Read"Awards" and other sections below in full for additional important information.
OPTION 2
$30 total entry fee, payable to "The Six Centuries Club"
Allows for submission of eight poems, receipt of two-issue Sensations Magazine subscription.
Five poems in different forms, three poems in free verse.
Poems in form must include one sonnet, one sestina, one pantoum, one villanelle, and one different form of your own choosing. You may find out about these forms on the Internet, through books, or through your teachers or parents.
Your eight poems must be on the following topics: (1) TWO POEMS, "September 11, 2001"; (2) TWO POEMS, "America, 2000-2010"; (3) TWO POEMS, "Imagining America, 2011-2100"; (4) TWO POEMS, on any theme, free verse or form
Seven of the poems must be 50 lines or less, and one of the "general theme/free verse" poems may be up to 90 lines.
Poems in form should strictly stay in the meter, rhyme scheme, and line order appropriate to that form.
You may submit fewer than all eight poems, but you must pay the full entry fee. If you wish to submit fewer than four poems, use Option 1 instead.
Read "Awards" and other sections below in full for additional important information.
AWARDS - PUBLICATION, ISSUES, CASH AWARDS, AND READING
Awards will be announced in July, 2010 - no earlier.
All poems selected for publication will appear on acid-free paper meeting library archival standards - one 8-1/2 x 11 page for one-page poems, and a two-page 11x17-sized spread for longer poems. The issues in which they'll be published will include a full-color front cover, and are expected to be 50-100 pages long.
The best poem per topic, for the first three topics in Option 1, will be published in Sensations Magazine Issue 48, Fall/Winter 2010, "21st Century America," and the poet will receive a free copy of that issue. If multiple poems are selected by one author, only one magazine copy will be provided.
The best poem per topic, for the first three topics in Option 2, will be published in Sensations Magazine Issue 48, Fall/Winter 2010, "21st Century America," and the poet will receive a free copy of that issue. If multiple poems are selected by one author, only one magazine copy will be provided.
The best "general theme/free verse" poem will be published in Sensations Magazine Issue 49, 2011, "Silver Anniversary Issue." If multiple poems are selected by one author, only one magazine copy will be provided.
The Publisher reserves the right to select additional poems for publication, if he feels the quality of the work warrants it. This can be with our without payment, as the Publisher sees fit.
$2 from each $20 entry fee, and $1 from each $30 entry fee, will be set aside as a pool to offer cash prizes to select writers. Who gets a cash prize, and how much, will be determined by Publisher David Messineo. The more entrants, the higher the pool from which cash prizes will be awarded. All cash prizes will be paid by check from The Six Centuries Club account in July, 2010.
Poets whose works are selected for publication will be invited to read their works at the debut of Issue 48 and/or the debut of Issue 49, as appropriate. The dates and locations of these events are yet to be determined.
There will not be any additional fee for you or your family to attend the magazine issue debut events.
The only additional fees would be if you want additional copies of the issue in which you are published. Our magazine is an expensive product to produce. It includes acid-free paper meeting library-archive standards, and includes full-color reproduction. Costs of extra copies would reflect that. You should expect to budget $20-25 per extra copy, including shipping costs. There is no requirement to purchase extra copies.
ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT CONTEST INFORMATION
- All poems will be selected by Publisher/Poetry Editor David Messineo, who has 30 years experience as a poetry editor, and whose decisions will be final.
- By entering this contest, you automatically authorize scanned versions of the accepted poems to be included in select databases of EBSCO, available for worldwide retrieval (which will increase the prospective readership of the poem, once the print version is sold out), and grant Sensations Magazine permission to place the poem on their website, if they wish to do so, without additional compensation.
- No poems may be retracted from consideration once submitted, or if selected for award. No refunds of entry fees will be provided.
- Copies of Formal will be shipped in July 2010. Copies of Sensations Magazine Issue 47 will be mailed in July 2010. Copies of Sensations Magazine Issue 48 will be mailed before December 31, 2010. Copies of Sensations Magazine Issue 49 will be mailed before December 31, 2011. All entry fees include the shipping costs of these items.
PREPARING YOUR ENTRY PACKET - VERY IMPORTANT!
Do all of these steps to ensure that your entry is not disqualified:
On a cover sheet, put the following:
- Your name (as you would want it to be published)
- Your mailing address
- An email address or phone number where we can reach you (in case there is a problem with your entry)
- Indicate "OPTION 1" or "OPTION 2"
- The titles of your poems. Each title should be followed by the title of the topic section to which the poem is associated (i.e., "September 11, 2001," "America, 2000-2010," etc.)
- Biographical information - 3-4 sentences that tell us your age, high school, and some interests or hobbies.
Type each poem on a separate white sheet of paper. Do not put your name anywhere on the pages with the poems. We wish to do anonymous judging; your name only should appear on the cover sheet.
If you do not know how to type or do not have anyone who can type these for you, we will accept hand-printed entries. That means printing in upper and lower-case letters, in black ink - no cursive writing. (This is to make sure we can read and print the poem the way you intend, if it is accepted.)
Do not send originals. We keep all submitted poems on file, and will not return poems to you. Be sure to a copy set for yourself, and have it available in case we contact you.
Make your check or Money Order payable to "The Six Centuries Club."
Winners will be notified by email or phone (include both, in case one or the other changes before July, 2010) in July, 2010. Winners also will be posted on the
http://www.sensationsmag.com/ website.
Mail it all to: Teen Newcomer Contest, c/o David Messineo, The Six Centuries Club, P.O. Box 132, Lafayette, NJ 07848.
BEST OF LUCK TO ALL ENTRANTS!
DAVID MESSINEO
PUBLISHER/POETRY EDITOR
SENSATIONS MAGAZINE
THREE-TIME WINNER,
AMERICAN LITERARY MAGAZINE AWARDS
