Deadline: 10th day of Ramadan
Geographical coverage: undisclosed
Reading Fee: none
Accepts (genre): poetry
Prize/Payment: $250 for 1st prize winner, $250 for charity; other prizes for runners-up
Contact: art@muslimmatters.org
It has been two years since our last Ramadan competition. In 2008, we were blessed to receive many wonderful short stories written by our talented readers. This time, we’d like the inspiration to flow in the form of poetry.
* Theme: The beautiful month of Ramadan – and all the precious things associated with it, i.e., Qur’an, fasting, self-sacrifice, charity, the Nights of Power, and much, much more.
* Style: Traditional, abstract, rhyming, non-rhyming, spoken word, haiku, iambic pentameter… anything goes. As long as it’s poetic and inspirational.
* Format: Poems may be submitted as either standard text, imagery (i.e., a poem on an image background), or as a video (max. duration: 3 minutes).
* Submission details: Entries should be submitted to art[@]muslimmatters.org with the subject: “Ramadan Poetry Contest”, between the 1st and 10th day of Ramadan, inclusive (according to the MM calendar). Videos entries should be first uploaded to YouTube, and the link emailed to the above address. The video description should include the line: “Submission to MuslimMatters.org’s Ramadan 2010 Poetry Contest: http://art.muslimmatters.org”, and “MuslimMatters Ramadan Poetry Contest” as a tag.
* Voting: Submissions that conform with MM rules will be published on MuslimMatters between 11th-20th Ramadan, where readers will be allowed to vote for their favourite entries. The winners will then be picked from the ‘favourited’ pool by a panel of MM judges.
* Prizes: A cash prize (USD) will be given to the winner, and the same amount donated in their name to charity; a reward for dunya, and a reward for akhira:
o 1st place: $250 to winner, and $250 to charity.
o 2nd place: $100 to winner, and $100 to charity.
o 3rd place: $50 to winner, and $50 to charity.
* Winners will be announced on Eid-ul-Fitr, insha’Allah.
Please make sure to read and comply with the following terms and conditions:
* One submission allowed per entrant.
* The poem must be original, and not previously published.
* Entrants must have permission to use the text, images and/or sounds (as relevant) included in their submission. For example, no ripping off nasheed artists, or stealing pictures from Google images! Please respect the work of others.
* By entering the contest, the entrant gives MuslimMatters.org permission to reproduce their submission.
* All material should be suitable for “family-viewing”; offensive or obscene content will obviously not be permitted.
* In the case of imagery, any featured male and/or female subjects should be covered according to proper Islamic guidelines.
* The video soundtrack must not include musical instrumentation. Voice-only please.
* MuslimMatters reserves the right to not publish any submitted material, and to change any aspect of the contest at any time, at our own discretion.
Now you’ve read the rules, get working on your poem! We look forward to your submissions. Make sure to spread the word.
More information here.
