Submit a Poem

2021 Submissions are now closed

1. Current Theme

The 2021 theme for Poetry in Motion is connection.

This theme is open to broad interpretation. Submitted poems may address belonging, nearness or distance, friendship or kinship, correspondence or coincidence, physical or virtual contact, literal or metaphorical passageways, ecological or social responsibility, or any other kind of connectivity.

2. Eligibility Criteria

To submit a poem to Poetry in Motion, entrants must meet the following criteria.

You must be 16 years of age or older.
You must be a permanent resident of Nova Scotia (i.e., you have lived in Nova Scotia full-time since the September 1 immediately prior to the submission deadline date, and you file your taxes here). Out-of-province college/university students and seasonal residents are ineligible.
You must submit only one entry per contest period.

3. Submission Requirements

Submissions must be received by 11:59pm on the contest deadline posted above; must be submitted electronically; and must contain all components listed below. Late, non-digital, or incomplete submissions will be rejected as ineligible.

1. Complete online submission form containing the following:

Your name, email address, county of residence, and phone number where you may be reached during business hours.
A short biographical note.
Confirmation that you meet all eligibility criteria, including that (1) you are 16 years of age or older, (2) you are a permanent resident of Nova Scotia, and (3) the attached poem is your sole submission this year.
The title and line count of the attached poem.

2. Poem (published or unpublished) or 10 lines of fewer (including stanza breaks and other blank lines):

The poem must be in Times New Roman or Arial 12-point font; must use the A4 (8.5″x11″) page size with a minimum 1-inch margin on all sides; and must be in .doc/.docx or .pdf format.
The file name must use the following format: YourName_Title.pdf, where “YourName” is your full name and “Title” is the title of your poem.

Poetry in Motion Submission Form
(2021 Theme: Connection)

Name *

Email *

County of residence *

Phone *

Brief biographical note (written in the third person, e.g., using "they," "she," or "he" rather than "I") *

Poem title *

Number of lines in poem (max. 10) *

Include stanza breaks and other blank lines in this total. Your title does not count as a line.

Poem *

Click or drag a file to this area to upload.

Upload your poem as a DOC or PDF file.
Please use PDF format if your poem relies on precise spacing of words. You can convert a DOC file to a PDF file for free at smallpdf.com/word-to-pdf.

Eligibility declarations: *

I am 16 years of age or older.
I am a permanent resident of Nova Scotia and have have lived in Nova Scotia full-time since September 1.
I affirm that the attached poem is my sole submission to Poetry in Motion this year.
I acknowledge that, if my submission is deemed incomplete or ineligible, it cannot be considered by the Poetry in Motion jury.

How did you first find out about this year's Poetry in Motion theme?

Name