At the present time I have directed more than twenty major poetry contests in Oregon and advised groups on setting up poetry contests all over the United States. I was recently dubbed: 'the dean of American Fair Poetry', (whatever that means) by Western Fairs Association. It is ironic, since early on I was so strongly against poetry contests.

To argue the merit of poetry contests, you have to consider my own background. Mine was academic, my father on the other hand was a well known local athlete in his time. Our Worlds did not always see eye to eye. But I realized in time that the academic World must learn from the successes of the Athletic World.

It's great to watch basketball players perform, but you can generate a great deal more interest if you keep score and set up a game. I would rather watch horses run then go to a horse race, but there is far more interest if the event is a race. The athletic World has been successful in generating interest in events because of competitions. If academic competitions generate interest in academics and promote learning, then they are of great benefit.

For many years after college, I became known as the 'poet hawking poetry books on the midway of the Fair'. I would go to State Fairs and pitch poetry books harder than any pitch man around me. But I knew that I was not just promoting MY poetry books; I was promoting poetry in general. I was trying to bridge the gap between the academic World and the public. Trying to show the public that 'poetry WAS enjoyable and nothing to be afraid of.'

Some years later, I came up with the idea of a Poetry Contest for the Oregon State Fair. It seemed like a good idea until, after being kicked up several government channels, the Fair wrote back and asked me to be Director. The contest began as very experimental, but in a few years grew to become one of the biggest in the Fair. Other Fairs sought help and well… that's how things got to where they are today.

If you ARE setting up a poetry contest, here are some suggestions:

1. Use the contest, first of all to generate interest in poetry. I still think that the greatest award a poet can receive is to have their poetry displayed and enjoyed. But it is the judging that seems to generate the excitement. The benefit of a poetry contest is that it allows people who might not otherwise pay much attention to poetry to get excited about it.
   
   
2. All entries should be matted with a secure means of hanging them. A good mat size is about 9 x 12. Do NOT allow entries framed in glass, wood or metal. (Glass breaks and can be dangerous.)
   
   
3. Do require that entries be easily readable. This year the Fair I direct will require a FONT of at least 16. People loose interest when the words are too small to read.
   
   
4. Keep classes simple and not too academic (unless you have been working with specific forms). Working with the general public (in most cases), I had to just provide an introduction to Poetry and use forms that were very general. Here are a few examples:
   
   
   • Short Poem, one to 4 lines. This can include haiku. This category has been very popular, especially as the number of entries has grown and space has decreaded.

   • Rhyme. 4 to 24 lines.

   • Free Verse 4 to 24 lines.

   • Event Theme Poem. If your contest is in conjunction with an event, this poem would speak to that event.

   • Visual Interpretation. The idea here is to use another form of art, such as a painting or sketch to provide an additional insight into the poem. There have been some very creative entries in this class.

My favorite thing about Poetry Contests is to watch the excitement in people toward poetry. I like to stand several feet from the display for the contest and watch other people enjoying a new discovery of poetry. And I enjoy the enthusiasm of the judges and the look on faces when their work is rewarded with a ribbon or award. I think that anyone who has ever participated in a Poetry Contest or won a ribbon carries with them an interest in and appreciation of poetry that they might not otherwise have had. I have already entered my third decade of creating poetry contests. But somewhere in the enthusiasm of a judge, or of child entering their poem for the first time, I find my own reward.