Authlete Instructions
- You will be assigned a single word.
- Use the word to write a kid-appropriate poem in under 36 hours.
- Be sure to comply with all poem requirements.
- Be sure to review and revise your poem before submitting. Submitted poems will be published AS IS without editing or feedback.
- Submit your poem via e-mail by the posted deadline.
- You will receive a confirmation email.
- If you miss the deadline, your opponent will be awarded ten extra votes in the Public Vote for each hour your poem is late, up to 50 total votes.
- Your poem will be posted online. (You and your opponent share a dedicated page for your match-up.)
- Voting begins as soon as the page is opened to the public!
- The assigned word must be used at least once somewhere within the body of the poem.
- The assigned word must be used exactly as written — usage in any other form (different tense, different grammatical form, as a proper name) does not satisfy the usage requirement.
- Every poem must have a title.
- Poems should be appropriate for kids aged 7 to 15. This does not mean ALL ages in that range, just SOMEWHERE in that range (e.g., 7-9 or 13-15).
- Authletes: If your poem is geared to a younger (0-6) or older (16-18) age group, indicated this in your submission e-mail and the poem will be flagged as such.
- Poem length:
- Poem length limits will be in place for each round. Authletes may break up lines of verse into multiple horizontal lines, such that the poem effectively fits within the round limit but visually exceeds it. For example, my poem “Skinny” is really only four poetic lines, but is spaced visually on a far greater number of individual lines.
- Line limits by round:
- Rounds 1 and 2: 8 lines maximum
- Rounds 3 and 4: 16 lines maximum
- Rounds 5 and 6: any number of lines is permissible
- Poems may have any number of stanzas.
- Blank lines do not count toward the line limit.
- No custom fonts, illustrations, or photos.
- Use of italics, bold, and underline is okay.
- Custom spacing is okay, but beware that not all layouts transfer easily onto the web, so best to keep this to a minimum.
- The name of the region to which each authlete is assigned (Humor, Empathy, Logic, or Passion) has nothing to do with the writing challenge itself. These names are used for organizational reasons only.
