judging criteria

[Vic Jefferies]

Came across the following in relation to how a particular poetry was to be judged and think it makes a lot of sense.

Winning poems should:

• stand out from the rest because the poet’s approach to the subject matter is individual or “different”
• have a distinctive style
• are a personal response to a situation the poet cares deeply about
• show that the poet is attuned to his or her surroundings
• touch deep emotions
• contain powerfully understated last lines
• resound with metaphors and similes that captivate the reader
• contain lines which are a treasure of clear, detailed sensory images
• are skilfully constructed, with memorable lines and poetic devices such as alliteration, rhythm and internal rhyme
• are thought-provoking.

Sort of makes you think about the criteria we have adopted.

Vic Jefferies

[Zondrae]

G'day Vic,

You have raised some good points. I agree that these points are a good yardstick and could be tacked on the end of the criteria we already have. I hope that our present judges would consider all these in the broad 'judges discression' section.
However, we still would require our present 'rules' to distinguish 'Australian Bush Poetry' from other forms.

[Vic Jefferies]

G'day Zondrae,

I think if you add rhyme and metre to the mix it would be suitable for ABPA competitions.
However it is a good example of how most poetry could be judged.

Vic

[Neville Briggs]

rhyme and metre is already there Vic....point 2, " have a distinctive style ".

[Vic Jefferies]

No Neville. I doubt that they meant only rhyme and meter when they specified distinctive style.
Marty calm down old mate 'tis just meant to be a discussion of alternative points of view.
I reckon if you had been with me here about an hour ago when I listened to a recording of some of Will Ogilvies' poems you would have marveled at his "metaphors and similes" and "the lines that are pure treasures of clear detailed sensory images." I reckon that is what we should aim for, to write like Will or Banjo or Henry who all strived to do exactly the same!
Marty I don't like competitions full stop but performance and written are two entirely different things and only occasionally do the two entwine to produce something memorable. The only thing the two different pursuits have in common is they include the word poetry and sadly that is what is so often missing from both in competitions.

[Neville Briggs]

Marty old mate, that is indeed what we strive for.

Far from being subjective, I would argue that Vic has given us a very clear objective criteria to think about.

I agree with you in part, I think performing or presenting in a non-competition setting is much more desirable because it focuses on the poetry not on some struggle for awards.

The written comps allow many more people to take part in poetry events than would be the case if they all had to attend in person, and I think written work forms the basis for the spoken poems, so we can't dismiss written work.

I notice that your little harangue resounds with metaphors and sensory images.


Vic. I meant that distinctive style covers rhyme and metre as well as other things.

[keats]

Good points by all and I feel that all is taken into account by a qualified poetry judge. Unfortunately most of our 'qualified' would be judges also want to enter written comps. I was recently shown a so called 'tear jerker' of a poem about the Bushfires. My first comment? Read it all before and the writer obviously was nowhere near the fires. It was emotionally unattached and I would never have chosen it, there were few images conjured for me. But I was not judging and it won.

So it really all comes back to who is going to judge the comp and can they make head nor tail out of the criteria without a dictionary.

But I agree that written comps are important and deserve to be judged by qualified people.

Just my thoughts.