Steemit Poets United - Contest Week 1
Last week, we have asked for feedback on contest formats (check the original post), and we received great input! There were two particular options that have received almost equal postiive feedback. As suggested in one of the comments, we will be alternating between these two more popular choices. These choices were option A and option D on the original post. This week's format will be using Option A - Poetry Prompt.
The poetry prompts will be selected from our own poets, who have consistently been active. Some of these have been featured in the curation project of SPU Best Poetry of the Week.
Note: If anyone is looking to guest judge future contests, feel free to contact me through discord. One must be an active poet on Steemit Poets United to be eligble. This week, 
Prizes
The prizes for week 1 have been massively increased by a sizeable donation of 6SBD from 
| Rank | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1st | 7SBD |
| 2nd | 3SBD |
| 3rd | 1SBD |
It is important to note that this prize money comes from our pockets. We kindly request that you upvote and resteem this post. Sharing the word helps us earn more payouts, with ensures that we have enough SBD to cover the prizepool. Currently, we will be using from our own wallets to provide you a great opportunity. I believe that more than the prize, the encouragement and exposure are rewarding as well.
If anyone would like to donate to the prizepool to be added, transfer SBD to my wallet with the memo: SPU Contest 1 Prizepool. You could also invest in next week's prizepool, with the memo: SPU Contest 2 Prizepool, and you will get mentioned in the contest announcement.
Poetry Prompts
Poetry Quote 1
Laughter; a deception, a lie
Hiding truth in white teeth,
Smiling at you as if the world
Was a playground and butterflies
Were never cocoons eaten by bats.
Taken from the second poem in Photography and Poetry, by 
Poetry Quote 2
if I only had a match to light
and see where I am now
wrong side of heaven
or righteous
depth of
hell?
Taken from the poem LOST, by 
Poetry Quote 3
life's wind in my head,
it refuses to play dead
and keeps resisting the forces of changing
Taken from A Birthday Limerick, by
Rules
- Your poem has to be inspired by ONE of the pieces above. Inspiration can be emotive or literal, and can use the whole quote or just a word or a phrase. Note, you may read the full poem to understand the context; preferably let the inspiration flow from the quoted part.
- No restrictions on length or rhyming. Feel free - use your freedom wisely.
- The post's title has to be "SPU Poetry Contest #1: POEM_TITLE". Obviously, replace POEM_TITLE with your poem's actual title.
- In the post, provide a link to the poem you chose (before or after the poem). This helps the poet gain some more exposure.
- Use poetsunited as the FIRST tag.
- Upvote this post. Resteem is optional, but appreciated.
- Copy the link to your poem, and post it on the comments below.
- If your poetry is featured in one of the prompts, you are obliged to choose one of the other two options.
Deadline for entries closes once this post has been paid out. We will do our best to announce winners and the following contest as quickly as possible.
Clarification Edit: The deadline is Sunday, 25th of February. For precise timing, keep an eye out on when this post pays out.
You must respect Steemit rules! No plagiarism allowed. If you are going to use photos or pictures on your post, make sure that you are allowed to use them, and to source the content. Any breaking of rules will be notified and the entry will not be accepted.
Judging Notes
We try to keep this contest as fair and objective as possible. Subjectivity always comes to play, and that's why we try to have more than one judge. Transparency is a big part of steemit, and we would like to share things we will be looking out for:
- Originality and Creativity: We like new ideas. Impress us! Whether it's the language used or the form of the poem, we appreciate innovation.
- Coherence: We prefer that the poem/lines/stanzas transitions smoothly.
- Logical Structure: Make use of every line and stanza - they should logically fit within the structure of the poem.
- Rhythm/Rhyme: We do not request a rhyme scheme or a metered poem, but do pay attention the overall rhythm. If rhymes are used, we will also evaluate if these were used well, or were instead forced.
- Aftermath: Powerful poetry should make us feel something, or should send us into deep thought and reflection.
- Inspiration: We seek that there is at least a faint inspiration from the poetry quote you chose. Inspiration is more flattering than imitation, so be sure to be inspired and take it to new directions.
Feel free to ask any queries in the comments. I will do my best to respond in a timely manner.
