DEADLINE EXTENDED TO FEBRUARY 28, 2022!

The contest is open internationally to people with lived experience of madness/mental health challenges/mental illness/neurodivergence. The contest will run from January 1, 2022 to February 28, 2022.

Entries will not be returned. Poetry about the experience of madness is welcomed; however, all subjects are acceptable. Poems are judged on poetic merit: originality, creativity, how well it changed or provoked readers’ thoughts, how well it was written, the effective use of imagery and sound devices, writing mechanics, and whether the poem imparted a
sensation after it was read—the last a critical factor in the final round of judging.

The winning poems will be published in the Spring 2022 issue of Open Minds Quarterly. Winners will receive a contributor copy and the top three winners will also receive monetary awards: $250 for First Place; $150 for Second Place; $75 for Third Place. Entries receiving Honourable Mentions will be awarded a regular contributor honorarium (currently $25, but subject to change). All nonwinners will be entered in a random draw to win a free one-year subscription to Open Minds Quarterly.

The judges’ decisions are final. Monetary prizes will be awarded in Canadian dollars. Authors must grant Open Minds Quarterly permission to print their poem once in print (serial) and online for our electronic edition of the magazine. All authors retain ownership of their work and may submit or publish it elsewhere after the Spring 2022 issue has been released.


To be eligible, each entry must be:
· Original, unpublished work;
· 30 lines or less;
· Submitted by 5:00 pm, February 28, 2022;
· Written in English;
· Accompanied by one entry form for every three poems entered;
· Arrive with your entry fee;
· NOT include a name or identifying information anywhere on the entry (put your name only on the accompanying entry form);
· Not include any drawings or images;
· Arrive by the online submission form, surface mail, or hand delivery, (no faxes or e-mails);
· if submitted by mail, be printed on 8.5” x 11” or A4 paper, one poem per page (do NOT put your name on the page, only on the submission form)


Poems are not eligible if:
· they have already been published by or accepted for publication in Open Minds Quarterly or elsewhere;
· the rules listed above are not followed;
· entry fee payment is returned due to insufficient funds.
NISA staff and board members are ineligible for entry. Disqualified entrants will not be notified of disqualification.

Entry Fee
The entry fee is $12 CAD for up to three poems. For mailed entries: Do not send cash in the mail. Cheques or money orders must be made payable to NISA or Northern Initiative for Social Action. Credit card payments can be sent via PayPal.com to info@nisa.on.ca, and please include your payment confirmation with your mailed entry form.

Mailed entries must be sent to:
BrainStorm Poetry Contest
c/o NISA Northern Initiative for Social Action
36 Elgin Street, 2nd floor
Sudbury, ON, P3C 5B4
Canada

Any mail entries received after 5:00pm, February 28, 2022 will be returned to the sender unopened and payment will not be charged.

To submit online click here.

Or print our mail in entry form here.

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