Rockland Public Library has submitted the following series of guidelines for its 2021 "Anything Goes!" Poetry Contest:

“Anything Goes!”

2021 Annual Poetry Contest- Now Until March 31. 
 
With a global pandemic underway, so comes a new and ever-changing set of RULES. Are you getting confused maneuvering these fluctuating but necessary orders, mandates, directives, and regulations? So are we; that’s why this year’s contest is “Anything Goes!” We want you to write your poem the way you want to write it. Type it. Paint it. Stack some books. Grab a sharpie and black out the words you don’t want. Grab a stick and scratch it into the sand. Spell it out with flowers or with flour. However you do it, we want to see your poems YOUR way.
 
That being said, there does have to be a few guidelines.
 
   - Two age categories - 12 and Under. 13 and Up.
   - 1 submission per person.
   - Poems should be one page. That can be written, photographed, typed, etc. but documents longer than one page will not be accepted.
 
Submit your poems one of three ways:
 
By Mail: send to Rockland Public Library, 80 Union St, Rockland, ME 04841. Write POETRY CONTEST and AGE CATEGORY on the OUTSIDE of the envelope.
 
In Person: same as above, feel free to drop in one of the drop boxes or with the greeter in the lobby. Write POETRY CONTEST and AGE CATEGORY on the OUTSIDE of the envelope.
 
By Email: send as an attachment to rocklandlibrary207@gmail.com. Attachments can be in Word, PDF, JPEG, or PNG formats ONLY. Include POETRY CONTEST and AGE CATEGORY in the subject line.
 
If mailing or dropping off, two copies of the poem must be submitted: one with no identifying information and one with name, address, phone number/email on the back of the poem.
 
Poems will be judged blindly. The top 3 will be chosen in each age category based on poem quality, regardless of format. Another top 3 will be chosen in each age category based on creative alternative format. These will be displayed at the Library and on our digital platforms (again, anonymously) to be judged by you, the community. The winners will be the People’s Choice!
 
Poems must be received by 5:00 PM on Wednesday, March 31st. The judges’ choices will be displayed and open for voting on Monday, April 5th and will continue through Monday, April 19th. Winners will be invited to participate in a Zoom Poetry Read.
 
By entering the Poetry Contest, you agree to allow the Rockland Public Library to use and/or reproduce your poem (in part or whole), credited to author, for use in promotional material, or as part of a collected work. Contact Jessica Blanchard at the Rockland Public Library at 594-0310 or jblanchard@rocklandmaine.gov for further information.