P – Montreal International Poetry Prize 2024

Rules and Regulations

Age Restriction. All Entrants shall be of the age of majority in their legal jurisdiction of residency at the time of entry submission.

Topic. Entries may be on any topic.

International Entries. Entries may be submitted from anywhere in the world. Each entry must be submitted with the author’s legal name. A pen name may be added to a submission.

Length. Entries may be any length not exceeding forty (40) lines, excluding blank lines, numbered section titles, brief dedications, and epigraphs.

Language. All entries must be primarily in English. The inclusion of a few non-English words or phrases is acceptable.

Simultaneous Submission. Simultaneous submissions are permitted. If a poem is scheduled to be published elsewhere on or before 30 September of the competition year, it must be immediately withdrawn from the Montreal Prize. Entrants should withdraw the relevant poem themselves through the online submission platform. Refunds cannot be issued for withdrawn submissions. If a poem, accepted elsewhere, is to be published after 30 September of the competition year, it remains eligible for the Montreal Prize and need not be withdrawn. In that case, successful Entrants will ensure that first publication by the Montreal Prize is duly acknowledged in the subsequent publication.

Publication Defined. Publication is defined as the appearance of a text on the Internet or in print, or the broadcasting of it in any format.

Previous Publication. Entries must be unpublished and original works of the Entrant. Each entry must be the work of a single author, not including a company or organization. Each entry must not infringe upon any right or copyright of any person or entity.

Translation. Translations are not eligible for the Montreal Prize, except a translation made by the Entrant of a poem written by the Entrant.

Publication Following Entry. If an entry is published at any time before the selections for the Montreal Prize anthologies have been announced, it will be rendered ineligible. Entries that are selected for publication in the Montreal Prize anthologies are subject to specific publishing rights outlined elsewhere in these rules.

Entry. All entries must be entered exclusively using the online submission platform linked to the Montreal Prize website. No other form of entry, by conventional mail or otherwise, shall be considered, and any such entry will not be returned. Entries must not include the Entrant’s name in the text.

No changes. All entries are final; no changes are allowed after submissions close. Before the submission deadline, Entrants may modify their entries themselves.

Publication Rights

Copyright. Copyright remains with the authors. By submitting an entry, the Entrant grants worldwide licences to the Montreal Prize for the following, in the case that the entry is selected for publication:

(i)              the right to publish the entry online and in print in the Montreal Prize anthology;

(ii)            the right to insert a hyperlink to the Montreal Prize website where the entries will be stored.

Reprint. For any entry that is published online as part of the shortlist and in the Montreal Prize anthology, any requests for permission to reprint or photocopy an Entrant’s work shall be referred to the Entrant.

Name and Likeness. All Entrants whose entries are selected for the anthologies shall agree to have their name and/or picture, including their photograph, and/or their voice used for promotional purposes related to this competition, free of charge. Each Entrant who has an entry selected for either publication and/or the prize agrees to take part in reasonable publicity after publication and the awarding of the prize and to the use of their names, title of work, biographies, and photographs in such publicity.

Selection Process

Selection by Jurors. All entries will be selected and judged anonymously. Each entry will be randomly allocated to juror, who will select from his or her allocated entries a number of entries for the anthology.

Judging. The prize judge will select the prize winner, also anonymously, from the entries selected for the Montreal Prize anthology.

Correspondence. No editorial feedback will be provided to Entrants. There will be no correspondence to Entrants regarding the selection process.

The Prize and the Publications

Prize and Publishing. The jury will choose approximately sixty poems for publication in the Montreal Prize anthology. Of these, the judge will select one poem as winner of the single prize of twenty thousand dollars in Canadian funds ($20,000 CAD). To have an entry included in the anthology, and/or to be declared the winner of the prize, Entrants must meet all the present terms and conditions.

Complimentary Copy. Entrants published in the anthology will receive one free copy of the Montreal Prize anthology.

Winner Announcement. The winner of the Montreal Prize will be announced by 1 December of the competition year.

Time of Announcement. The prize winner will be named online, on the Montreal Prize website, by 1 December of the relevant year.

Deadline for Claim. The deadline for claiming the prize will be thirty (30) days from the time of announcement. Should the winner fail to claim the prize, he or she will forfeit the prize and another winner will be selected.