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Adoptee Reclaimed Poem Contest:
THEME: Becoming 

Adoptees of all backgrounds and writing experiences are encouraged to try their hand at a submission for this beginner poetry competition. Please read the submission guidelines and terms of service before submitting.

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FIRST PRIZE: $60

RUNNER UP: $40 

HONORARY MENTION: $20

DEADLINE: July 20th, 2024 or at 200 submissions


SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

Participants must be adoptees and may only submit once. Poems may be any topic, style, or length but should:

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1) Relate to your personal experience of adoption

2) Touch on one or several of the seven core impacts of adoption:

     Loss, Rejection, Guilt/Shame, Grief, Identity, Intimacy, and Mastery & Control.

3) Be written in response to the prompt: Becoming

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JUDGE'S CRITEREA:

Poems will be judged to the judge's preference with the following criteria: 

Impact of adoption - the poem clearly outlines an adoptee's voice/perspective/opinion related to the experience of adoption

Voice - the author's unique voice is displayed in the style of the submission

Concept - the idea presented is clear and interesting

Poetic excellence - as a poem, the submission is well-written with strong, accurate, and impactful word selection and a definable rhythm or theme, making the piece engaging to read

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SUBMISSIONS CLOSED

Select any of the following that apply to you:

*Not sure what applies? Here are some terms:

 

Domestic Adoptee: Adopted within the country of your birth
Adoptee in Reunion: You have made contact with a member or member(s) of your biological family

International Adoptee: Adopted internationally and raised in a country different than your birth

Former Foster Youth Adoptee: Adopted after spending time in state care

Transracial Adoptee: Adopted by people of a different racial background than your own

Kinship Adoptee: Adopted and raised by non-parent biological relatives

Published Author: Previous writing (of any topic) has been published by a formal publication or digital media agency. 

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SUBMISSIONS CLOSED

Sorry! Submissions just filled up. We couldn't fit yours in.

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TERMS AND CONDITIONS: 

 

  • One entry per participant. Multiple entries will be discarded. Participation is limited to adoptees who were adopted prior to the age of 18.

  • By submitting a poem, the participant confirms that they are over the age of 16, an adoptee, and have read and consented to the terms and conditions in their entirety.

  • Submissions must be related to the prompt: "Becoming." - Use the 'add notes' section to clarify how your poem relates to the prompt if needed. Submissions that are not clearly related to the prompt or lack a note to indicate the tie will be discarded.

  • The submission deadline is July 20 2024 OR until 200 entries have been recieved. Winners will be announced no later than August 20, 2024.

  • Submission implies consent to be contacted by the organizer via email or Instagram. Contact information is not sold to third parties.

  • Work submitted must be the participant's own and cannot be plagiarized, AI generated, or copied from another source. Plagiarism will result in immediate disqualification from the competition.​

  • Submitted work should be free of spelling and grammatical errors, unless the error is for artistic intent.

  • Submission does not guarantee a prize.

  • Poems will be stripped of identifying information for judging purposes. Participants may NOT contact judges regarding the competition. Doing so will result in immediate disqualification from the competition and forfeit of any prize.

  • The author retains the rights to their submitted intellectual property. Submitted poems are released from copyright obligations and may be edited for publishing. Submission indicated permission for the submitted work to be redistributed or published at any time without prior notice to the author. 

  • Winners will be determined on the criteria above. Judges will use a ranking system to score poems on a 5 point scale of 1 (least favorable) to 5 (most favorable). The highest-ranked poems will be paired with peers and re-scored until winners are selected. Judges will score with their individual discretion. Judges may not submit. The contest organizer may not submit. 

  • Winners will be notified by email and/or Instagram DM from @adoptee_reclaimed. Failure to respond within 10 days of notification may result in the participant's prize being forfeited. 

  • Prizes will be delivered digitally, via Venmo or Paypal. Participants are responsible for obtaining and maintaining their electronic accounts with these services.

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