Here are some answers to frequently asked questions concerning the Montreal Prize. Please don’t email us until you’ve checked to see if we’ve already answered your questions below. We know it’s a long list, but people have a lot of questions!
Entries
What are the entry fees?
Go here to see what the entry fees are.
How old do I have to be to enter?
You must have reached the age of majority in your place of residence to enter. You can go here for an unofficial list of the age of majority in different countries. Please note that within some countries (as in Canada), the age of majority is different in some regions.
I have submitted more than one poem. Can I have more than one poem selected for publication in the anthologies?
Yes. The editors do not see any personal information regarding authors and so more than one of your poems can be selected.
Can my poem be in any form?
Yes. We are open to all forms of poetry.
Can I use any font(s) or colours?
You can only use the fonts and colours available in our entry form. Sorry!
If the editors and judge don’t know who wrote each entry, how do you keep track of my poem?
Our entry manager assigns a number to each poem and tracks it in a database to which the editors and judge do not have access.
What counts as a “published” poem?
Please see our Terms & Conditions for an explanation of what counts as a published poem.
Poems are considered to have been published if:
- They have been broadcast in any format
- They have appeared online or in print
- This includes works that have been self-published
- Entries that are published between the time of submission to the Montreal Prize and the announcement of the Prize will be ineligible (i.e. no simultaneous submissions)
Can I enter my poem under a pseudonym?
Yes. There is a line for this on the entry form.
What if my poem has been published since I entered the competition?
Nice! Your entry, however, is now ineligible for the Montreal Prize. We do not accept simultaneous submissions. If you have submitted your poem elsewhere and it has been published before the Prize is announced, please email us at contact@montrealprize.com to withdraw it from the Montreal Prize.
Will my entry fee be refunded if I break any of the entry requirements or terms and conditions?
No, sorry. Please see our Terms & Conditions for an explanation concerning refunds.
Are translations of poems in other languages eligible?
No, sorry. Poetry in translation is an art of its own and would require a different structure to ensure a fair handling.
What if I mistakenly included my name in the text of my entry?
Don’t worry, we’ll remove it from the entry and assign the poem to another editor/judge.
I entered the wrong poem by mistake. Can I change it for the right poem?
No, sorry. You’ll have to enter again.
Can I revise my poem and enter it again?
Yes. This means it will be entered and registered as a separate entry from your first poem. Please remember that subsequent entries are subject to a discounted rate.
How do I know you’ve received my poem(s)?
Check your account by logging in here. There is a box listing your submitted poems with the poem title and the entry number. You will also receive a confirmation email when you enter poems. And you will be sent a separate email when we receive confirmation of your payment from PayPal.
Can I enter a poem written by someone else?
No, you cannot enter a poem written by someone else.
Entries
What are the entry fees?
Go here to see what the entry fees are.
How old do I have to be to enter?
You must have reached the age of majority in your place of residence to enter. You can go here for an unofficial list of the age of majority in different countries. Please note that within some countries (as in Canada), the age of majority is different in some regions.
I have submitted more than one poem. Can I have more than one poem selected for publication in the anthologies?
Yes. The editors do not see any personal information regarding authors and so more than one of your poems can be selected.
Can my poem be in any form?
Yes. We are open to all forms of poetry.
Can I use any font(s) or colours?
You can only use the fonts and colours available in our entry form. Sorry!
If the editors and judge don’t know who wrote each entry, how do you keep track of my poem?
Our entry manager assigns a number to each poem and tracks it in a database to which the editors and judge do not have access.
What counts as a “published” poem?
Please see our Terms & Conditions for an explanation of what counts as a published poem.
Poems are considered to have been published if:
- They have been broadcast in any format
- They have appeared online or in print
- This includes works that have been self-published
- Entries that are published between the time of submission to the Montreal Prize and the announcement of the Prize will be ineligible (i.e. no simultaneous submissions)
Can I enter my poem under a pseudonym?
Yes. There is a line for this on the entry form.
What if my poem has been published since I entered the competition?
Nice! Your entry, however, is now ineligible for the Montreal Prize. We do not accept simultaneous submissions. If you have submitted your poem elsewhere and it has been published before the Prize is announced, please email us at contact@montrealprize.com to withdraw it from the Montreal Prize.
Will my entry fee be refunded if I break any of the entry requirements or terms and conditions?
No, sorry. Please see our Terms & Conditions for an explanation concerning refunds.
Are translations of poems in other languages eligible?
No, sorry. Poetry in translation is an art of its own and would require a different structure to ensure a fair handling.
What if I mistakenly included my name in the text of my entry?
Don’t worry, we’ll remove it from the entry and assign the poem to another editor/judge.
I entered the wrong poem by mistake. Can I change it for the right poem?
No, sorry. You’ll have to enter again.
Can I revise my poem and enter it again?
Yes. This means it will be entered and registered as a separate entry from your first poem. Please remember that subsequent entries are subject to a discounted rate.
How do I know you’ve received my poem(s)?
Check your account by logging in here. There is a box listing your submitted poems with the poem title and the entry number. You will also receive a confirmation email when you enter poems. And you will be sent a separate email when we receive confirmation of your payment from PayPal.
Can I enter a poem written by someone else?
No, you cannot enter a poem written by someone else.
Yes, in a way. We’ll post each of the poems for one day on our site so people will have a chance to read them. Go here for instructions on how to enter your poem(s). You need an email address to create an account and you will need to pay using PayPal. You can use PayPal with a credit card or a debit card. We’ve tried to keep the process as simple as possible! No. You can only enter online using our entry system. It’s easy! No. You can only enter online using our entry system. It’s easy! Payment is made through PayPal. PayPal is a secure and easy way to make online payments. It has been around since 1999 and has since built a solid reputation for being both user-friendly and secure. You can use PayPal with a credit card or a debit card. No. Your poem will be typed (or pasted) directly into a text field during the entry process. All anyone needs is a compatible web browser to enter the Montreal Prize. No, sorry. Entries must be paid for online using PayPal, which requires a credit or debit card. No. PayPal allows for other methods of payment. Yes. Remember their information must be used when you’re paying for your entries using PayPal during the entry process. Yes. The account you created when you first entered the Montreal Prize keeps track of all your entries. Remember to log in before entering any more poems! The entry fee goes towards paying the editors and covering other costs associated with the Montreal Prize. The entry fee makes the Montreal Prize happen – by paying the fee you’re helping to make all of this a reality. The editorial team’s job is to go through the entries and select poems for the anthologies. The prize judge selects the prize winner from the top 50 entries. No. In order to preserve editorial independence, each entry will be read by only one editor, and each editor will read only those entries that are randomly allocated to her or him. This way we hope to emphasize each individual editor’s unique contribution to the selection process and allow for a plurality of voices. No. Entries will be allocated to the editors randomly. One mission of the Montreal Prize is to have people from different parts of the world and from different traditions reading each other’s work. In this case we will announce a team of respected poets to ‘filter’ the entries down to the maximum number of entries that the editors can tackle in the time available to them. The deadline for early entries (which are subject to a lower entry fee) is 11:59pm GMT on March 31, 2013. The final deadline is 11:59pm GMT on May 15, 2013. Both anthologies will be published by November 2013. We aim to have both published before the prize is announced, and neither anthology will make any reference to the poem selected for the prize. By December 2013. Yes. We want people to read and value the work in the anthologies before the prize winner is announced. If your work has been selected for the longlist anthology, you will be informed before it is published. If your work has been selected for the Global Poetry Anthology, you will be informed before it is published. If your poem is selected as the prize winner, you will be informed along with the rest of the world in December 2013. Yes. It is incorporated as a not-for-profit federally in Canada. No, it’s a non-profit organization. The entry fee goes towards paying the editors and covering other costs associated with the Montreal Prize. The entry fee makes the Montreal Prize happen – by paying the fee you’re helping to make all of this a reality. The Montreal Prize is meant to be a truly global effort and so we’ve tried to take account of the fact that some countries are richer than others. In order to be as objective as we can in the allocation of the different fees, we’ve used the UN Human Development Index to distinguish between developed and developing nations.The Anthologies
What are the anthologies?
When will the anthologies be published?
Will the anthologies be published in both print and electronic format?
How do I order the anthologies?
Will the poems included in the anthologies be published online (i.e. on the Montreal Prize website)?
What are the publishing rights if my work wins the prize or is included in either of the anthologies?
Entering your Poem Online
How do I enter my poem?
Can I enter a poem through the mail?
Can I email my poem?
How do I pay for my entries?
Do I enter my poem as an attachment (for example in Word or PDF)?
Can I pay with a cheque, cash, or money order?
Do I need a credit card to pay?
Can someone else pay for my entry?
I’ve already entered a poem. Are my subsequent entries still entered at the discounted rate?
Why do you charge an entry fee?
Judging and Editing
What is the difference between the ‘prize judge’ and the ‘editors’?
Will all ten editors read my entries?
Can I select a specific editor to read my poem(s)?
What happens if there are too many entries for the editors to handle?
Timeline
When is the deadline for entering the Montreal Prize?
When will the anthologies be published?
When is the prize winner announced?
So the prize winner is announced after the anthologies are published?
When will I find out if my work has been selected for the anthologies or for the prize?
About the Montreal Prize
Is the Montreal Prize a non-profit organization?
Is the Montreal Prize a charity?
Why is there an entry fee?
Why are there different fees for entries from different countries?
