Humorous verse? Yes! When we say "all genres", we mean "ALL genres". Unlike many other contests, we will both accept and award cash prizes to humorous and comic poetry. Here's a link to one of the Chief Judge's own e-books: NIBBLES OF NONSENSE.

Other useful books from the Chief Judge are "Poetry for Lazy Summer Afternoons", "7 Solid Roads to Writing Success", "Poetry Pitfalls or What Makes Bad Verse Worse", "How Writers Win Favor with Judges and Editors", and "Correct Writing Formats for Contests and Publishers".

Periodically, these e-books are available from Amazon entirely FREE OF CHARGE. The next FREE DAYS are May 18 and 25, June 22, July 20 and 27, 2013 for "7 Solid Roads"; May 4, 25 and 26, plus June 8 and 9 for "Nibbles of Nonsense"; May 25, June 8, 9, 22 AND 23 for "Poetry Pitfalls"; May 4, 11, 12, 25 and 26 for "Poetry for Lazy Summer Afternoons". "How Writers Win Favor with Judges and Editors" will be available FREE on May 25, June 15, 16 and 29, and July 13, 2013. "Correct Writing Formats for Contests and Publishers" will be free on May 18 and 25, June 22 and 29, and July 6, 2013. Can't wait? You can buy some of these books for only 99 cents each. Please click the Amazon links above.

Visit http://johnreid.exactpages.com for a complete list of all JHR's FREE E-BOOKS.

"Nibbles of Nonsense Hilarious Comic Verse", "Poetry for Lazy Summer Afternoons", "7 Solid Roads to Writing Success", "Poetry Pitfalls", "How Writers Win Favor with Judges and Editors" and "Correct Writing Formats" are also available in the U.K., Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Brazil and Spain, but you will need to do a search at the local Amazon Kindle for them. Free copies will be available more or less on the listed days (which are calculated on USA Pacific time).  

The 2013 Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest 

for Poetry and Verse

in all styles

& genres is now open.

Entries may be submitted online at http://winningwriters.com/contests/tompoetry/tp_guidelines.php

Visit the above site for email, PayPal and snail mail options. PLEASE SCROLL DOWN THIS PAGE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. 

SAILING IN THE MIST OF TIME was the fourth Anthology of Prize-winning Poems from both the Tom Howard Poetry Contest and the Margaret Reid Prize for Traditional Verse. Over 100 fascinating, award-winning poems (showcasing over 50 major prize-winners), 60 superb photographs. 194 large-format pages. Only $9.95. Alas, this anthology will NEVER be available as an e-book because of Copyright restrictions! 

Also now available is a new anthology of winning poems by Tom Howard himself. 20 of these poems were previously published 15 or more years ago, 21 are new translations of Spanish masters, but the other 55 have never before appeared in print. "Tom Howard" was a pseudonym for John Howard Reid. 

As "Tom Howard" is no longer submitting his work to writing contests, the Kindle edition is published under John Howard Reid's own name. The cost? A mere 99 cents. Please click this link: Paradise Kindle   

Absolute-must reading for all competition contestants! The revised edition of John Howard Reid's famous handbook "WRITE WAYS TO WIN WRITING CONTESTS: How to Join the Winners' Circle for Short Story Awards, Poetry Prizes, etc." is now available. 

Price is $12.50. Buy from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other bookstores. NOOK at Barnes and Noble have the very latest updated e-book on sale for $3.99. A Kindle edition is available for only $2.99. Please click Write Ways to WIN WRITING CONTESTS What's $12.50 (or $2.99) compared to increasing your chances of carrying off a First Prize of $2,000 in cash?

The 11th annual Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest is now open. A total of $5,650 will be awarded in prize-money for all styles and genres of poetry and verse as follows: 

First Prize (all genres): $2,000. First Prize (traditional verse); $2,000. Second Prize (all genres): $500. Second Prize (traditional verse): $500. Third prize: $150 (a special bonus prize this year, thanks to the generosity of one of our winners). Plus five Most Highly Commended Awards of $100 each. Ten cash awards in all, including those two First Prizes of $2,000 each.

Grand total: $5,650.

Please note that the Judges reserve the right to INCREASE (but not to decrease) these prizes. For the 2012 Tom Howard Poetry Contest, prize money was increased to a total payout of $6,800! Yes, that's right; SIX THOUSAND, EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLARS!

In short, this Contest is a Premier Literary Competition for Original Creative Writing in Poetry or Verse in any Style and on any Theme. 

Minimum Total: US$5,650 in Cash Prizes, plus online publication for the top winners.  

Closing date for online entries: Midnight, Pacific Time, September 30, 2013

Entries may be submitted online at http://winningwriters.com/contests/tompoetry/tp_guidelines.php

Visit the above site for email, PayPal and snail mail options. 

Entry forms are not required for this Contest, however, by entering you agree to abide by the judge's decisions, and you agree that those decisions are final. If you win a cash prize you agree to allow John H. Reid and Winning Writers to publish your poem online at no extra fees.

Your entry fees are US$8 for every 25 lines (or part thereof).

There is no maximum limit on the number of lines (or number of entries) you may submit. There are no restrictions on subject matter and, unlike many other contests, humorous poems and comic verses are most welcome. In fact, you will find some excellent, winning examples of comic poems in our printed anthologies such as SAILING IN THE MIST OF TIME or "Aardvarks in the Clouds". 

Here's a link for the $7.99 printed edition: Aardvarks Lulu

And here is the $2.99 Kindle edition, NOW AVAILABLE AT THE SPECIAL PRICE OF ONLY $0.99: Aardvarks Kindle

TO REPEAT, ALL TYPES AND GENRES OF POETRY ARE ACCEPTED

NO RESTRICTIONS ON PREVIOUS PUBLICATION

PRIZE-WINNERS FROM OTHER CONTESTS ARE WELCOME

(SO LONG AS YOU HAVE RETAINED ONLINE PUBLISHING RIGHTS)

Please note that the entry fee of US$8 per 25 lines is calculated on the total number of lines. (Headings and spaces are not counted). If you submit two short poems, one of ten lines and one of 14 lines, the total fee is US$8. If, however, you submit two sonnets (14 lines each), the fee is US$16. If you submit a long poem between 76 and 100 lines, the fee is US$32. 

 If you have any questions, please email rastar7 at bigpond.com

The prizes are pegged in U.S. dollars. Prizes will be paid in other currencies (if required) at equivalent rates of exchange. Please note that if your poem has won a cash prize in a previous Tom Howard or Margaret Reid Contest, it is not eligible for a cash prize in future contests.