When was the Margaret Reid Poetry Contest launched?
2004.

How many entries were received in the 2010 contest?
We received 2,455 entries, where an entry is a group of 25 lines or less paid for by an entry fee. The number of poets participating is somewhat lower, since some contestants submitted more than one entry.

Who won the previous contests?
2011: Jacie Ragan, 2010: Philip Brown, 2009: Judith Goldhaber, 2008: Reena Ribalow, 2007: Johnmichael Simon, 2006: Susan Keith, 2005: Osmond Benoliel, 2004: Guy Kettelhack.

Is there any age restriction?
No - open to all ages.

Is there any country restriction?
No - open to contestants from any nation.

What is the best way to enter from outside the United States?
We suggest you submit online and pay the fee with a credit card.

Are my poems judged anonymously?
No, but your entry is judged by its excellence, not your past achievements, current fame, or relationship to anyone involved with the contest.

Are my poems judged separately from one another (if I enter more than one)?
Yes.

Can a contestant win more than one prize in a year?
Yes.

How many poems may I enter?
There is no limit. Bear in mind your contest fee does increase as the total number of lines in your entry grows.

May I submit via email?
We'd prefer that you submit online or submit by mail.

May I include illustrations or photos with my entry?
Yes.

May I submit work that has two or more authors?
Yes.

May I submit a poem by someone who has died?
No. The authors of all submissions must be living.

May I submit my poem simultaneously to you and to other contests and publishers?
Yes.

May I submit a poem that has been published elsewhere or won an award?
Yes, as long as you currently have the online publication rights.

May I submit a poem that has been translated from another language?
Yes, if you wrote the original poem. You may also submit a translation of a work that is in the public domain.

Will you return my entry after the contest?
No - please keep a copy of your work.

By entering, am I making any ongoing commitment to buy anything?
No - your entry fee is a one-time charge.

Will I keep the copyright to my work?
Yes. You keep the copyright to your work. If your entry wins any cash prize, you agree to give both John H. Reid and Winning Writers a nonexclusive license to publish your work online. From time to time, selected winning entries may also be published in printed collections. If you win a prize, we may ask you for permission to include your entry in one of these books. You may accept or decline this invitation as you choose. Your entry will not be published in print without your consent, and you retain all other rights. You are free, for example, to publish your work in print or online elsewhere, and to enter it into other contests, whether or not you win a prize in this contest.

Who was Margaret Reid?
Margaret Ruth Rudkin and her twin sister, Nancy, were born in the small Westland town of Kumara, in the South Island of New Zealand on July 4, 1936.

Both Margaret and Nancy were natural-born artists. They often found themselves in trouble at school when their caricatures of fellow pupils and their teachers somehow found their way to the headmaster's desk.

Resident in Australia since 1964, Margaret was for many years Honorary Secretary and then President of The Sculptors Society. Although her first love was sculpture, Margaret changed tack in 1993 to concentrate on painting and drawing. After a most successful exhibition of her work at the Central Coast's leading gallery in 2003, she was invited to mount another in 2005. She had completed most of this work before she died on July 27, 2004. Her executors decided to hold a retrospective exhibition instead, and as there was insufficient space at the regional gallery, to move the exhibition to the larger Newcastle Gallery where it opened in January 2005 and ran for three months. Most of her work was sold.

Margaret had a sideline. While painting, she would often compose a poem. With several major awards under her belt, she was named Poet of the Year in 1993, and just missed out by a single vote in 1994. Her poems embellished numerous anthologies. Her own book, Song of the Wayward Wind... and Other Poems, came out in a limited edition in 2004. A new edition, with additional poems and drawings, appeared in 2005. Her latest anthology is Love & City Dreaming.

Does Tom Howard Books sponsor any other contests?
Yes, the Tom Howard/John H. Reid Poetry Contest (open to any style of poetry) and the Tom Howard/John H. Reid Short Story Contest.

What is the relationship of Winning Writers to Tom Howard Books?
Winning Writers assists Tom Howard Books with contest promotion and entry handling. It receives a portion of the entry fees in return. Winning Writers is not a sponsor of the Tom Howard contests and does not judge the entries.

Do you rent any contestant information to third parties?
No. Please click here for our full privacy policy.

How can I find out more?
Please email the Tom Howard contest administrator.