How the Judging Is Done

The number of entries has forced me to evolve a system, as follows:

1. As each poem or group of poems arrives, it's given an initial numerical score (explained below).

2. At the end of the submission period, the poems and classes with the highest scores are given a second reading, and the strongest entries are selected as semi-finalists.

3. Several judges read the semi-final entries and choose both the class finalists and a small group of individual finalists.

4. The final judges choose the winning classes and rank the individual poems, which are given a numerical score according to their ranking. (The poem ranked first among fifteen poems receives fifteen points, the second receives fourteen, and so on.) Each judge ranks the poems individually. If scores are close, the pile of poems is passed along to more judges until there is a clear winner. The examples below are from the fall, 1998 contest.

Initial Numerical Scores

Points are given to each poem for demonstrating any of the following:

1. strong verbs that really show action:

shriek, devour, attack, gasp, dash, dive, splash, slither, gallop

2. vivid, precise details that create a very specific picture in the reader's mind:

"I'm gray with white racing stripes going down my neck." (a mouse by R.L. from Coventry, RI)

"I'm a peppy, sandy ball of fluff." (dog by C.F. from Grantsville, MD)

blue "the colour of the policeman's uniform" (L.K.Y. from Singapore)

"I see acorns drop and the dew on blades of grass." (T.C.W. from Philadelphia, PA)

"My ears are long and floppity." (A.G. from Los Gatos, CA)

3. use of metaphor and simile:

"We hunt in packs and sing/like opera singers" (wolves by G. from Fairfax County, VA)

"I have pearls on my toes" (frog by L.B. of Media, PA)

"fierce as a bucking bronco" (wind by M.S. of Elkins Park, PA)

"wing lord of the sky" (eagle by D.C. of Ambler, PA)

"smart and silent like James Bond" (wolf by R.S. of Fort Washington, PA)

"My fur is as fluffy as fresh fallen snow." (squirrel by T.M. of Montgomeryville, PA)

"My green hat is short or tall." (pumpkin by S.Z. of Philadelphia, PA)

4. wordplay and sound:

invented words - "sprongey" for a pig's tail (P.V. from Newtown Square, PA)

creative use of sounds for their own sake - "buzz/beeb/blub/bash" (computer by A.K. from American Falls, ID) or "crinkle crackle crink" (robot by A.C. from Bronx, NY).

use of musical sound devices like alliteration - "Very very slick and smart and sly,/Moving very slow" (fox by N.M. from Broomall, PA)

playing with words - "The grass slooowly passes me." (turtle by S.C. of American Falls, ID) or "My shriek is worse than my nibble." (clever play on "My bark is worse than my bite" by R.L. of Coventry, RI in her mouse poem).

5. interesting uses of form:

effective use of repetition:

Was spotted
Hunter shot at me
Was lucky
Could have been lunch

(from "Buck" by M.F. of Grantsville, MD)

I dash up the tube
race past the wheel
and dive for the nuts
and crick crack pop
I eat it all....

(from "Hamster" by A.O. of Cornelius, NC)

6. striking lines or original ideas, such as:

"I sweeten your day," the last line of "Bees" by E.B. of Los Gatos, CA, where "sweeten" refers to honey but takes on a wonderful larger meaning too

the interesting idea that a church "eats every Sunday" from "Church" by T.P. of Philadelphia, PA

"Sometimes I have the face of a flower/Sometimes my face is a witch," a marvelous set of contrasting images from a paper plate poem by D.D. of Bronx, NY

the startling and amusing lines, "I eat fish and also swim with them/like food and friends" from "I'm Just a Dolphin" by L.B. from Newtown Square, PA

the eerie and evocative "I wear fire" from a candle poem by T.B. of Bronx, NY

the charming lines, "My best friends are pencil and eraser/My closest relative is a tree" from "Paper" by K.H. of American Falls, ID

the anaconda named Ann and the cheetah named Speedy by D.Y. and L.M. of Philadelphia, PA

the humor and surprise in the ending of C.B.'s "No! Not the Vet!" in the other good poems section.

7. freedom from errors:

following the contest guidelines correctly

no spelling mistakes or incorrect verb forms - unless they're clearly intentional (poets may break the rules, but there must be a good reason for doing so)

8. If the poem as a whole is very beautiful in either imagery or rhythm and music, if the basic idea of the poem is unique or unusually entertaining, if the emotion and point of view of the poem are highly individual or convincing, or if the overall use of language is extremely skillful and effective, the poem is, of course, also given points for those larger and less easily quantifiable qualities.

As you can see, every effort is made to provide a clear and objective basis for the judging. I love running this contest and derive enormous pleasure from reading the many wonderful poems, but at the end, I endure a certain trauma because I really wish that every good poem could win a prize. If you didn't win a prize this time, I do hope you'll try again. Thank you, for the zillionth time, for all the great poems you send me!

To see individual poems which were chosen by the judges as the very best of all the entries, visit the winners' circle.

To return to the main screen, click here.