SAVE  THE FROGS! Poetry Contest 2013

Website -  http://www.savethefrogs.com/poetry/index.html#rules

The 2013 SAVE THE FROGS! Poetry Contest will run from January 15th to October 15th, 2013. All ages and nationalities are encouraged to enter

Introduction

Amphibian populations worldwide are in the midst of a mass extinction crisis, yet most people are completely unaware! We need your help in getting the word out. This contest will raise awareness of the amphibian extinction problem by getting people involved and interested. The best frog poems will be used in a book of frog poetry that will be sold to raise money for amphibian conservation efforts.

Between 2009-2012 we have received 3,104 frog poems from 62 countries: Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bhutan, Brasil, Cameroon, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Jamaica, Kenya, Kuwait, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, USA, Venezuela, Zimbabwe. We look forward to receiving your entry!

Past Years Winners

Caitlin Lambert, Age 14, of Waxhaw, North Carolina, Grand Prize Winner of the 2012 SAVE THE FROGS! Poetry Contest, for her poem "Goodbye". The 2012 contest received 1,216 entries from 43 countries.

Michael James Faulkner of Ada, Oklahoma, the 2011 SAVE THE FROGS! Poetry Contest Grand Prize Winner and reigning Save The Frogs Poet Laureate! The 2011 contest received 700 entries from 33 countries. Thanks to all the contestants for their fabulous frog poetry!

Isabel Johnson of Anaheim, CA, the 2010 SAVE THE FROGS! Poetry Contest Grand Prize Winner! The 2010 contest received 774 entries from 26 countries.

12 year old Brittany Belanger of Stockton, CA, the 2009 SAVE THE FROGS! Poetry Contest Grand Prize Winner. The 2009 contest received 414 entries from 14 countries.

Who can enter?

Anybody! We encourage students and teachers to get their writing classes involved on Save The Frogs Day. We encourage amateur and professional poets to take part as well. And the more countries represented the better! Did we mention that it is indeed FREE to enter the contest?

"I had my students in 2nd through 5th grades create poems to enter into your contest. They had such a blast doing this and learning about frogs."
Carrie Mateja, Librarian, St. Matthews Elementary, Louisville, KY

Inspiration

The Japanese poet Basho wrote a famous haiku in the 17th century:

? ? ?        
? ? 込 ?
? ? ?

Furuike ya             
Kawazu tobikomu   
Mizu no oto  

Which is translated as:

The old pond
A frog jumps in
The sound of water.

Please send us your 21st century poems of any length, form or style.

The old pond
Frogs are in danger
Poets jump in.

Have a Basho!

How do I write a Frog Poem?

We welcome any poems that mention frogs, salamanders, newts, toads, caecilians, amphibians, savethefrogs.com, and/or SAVE THE FROGS!

Here are some ideas for your frog poems:

(1) Find out about a particular kind of frog and describe the world from that frog?s point of view.

(2) What if you found the last frogs alive on the planet ? What would you do? How would you feel?

(3) Write a poem that makes the reader understand the importance of saving frogs, or one that makes them realize the danger frogs are in.

(4) Write a poem about any of the threats to frogs.

(5) Write a poem about how ridiculously cool frogs are!

(6) Imagine all kinds of brave, extravagant and daring ways in which you could save the frogs. Check out our How to Help page.

Prizes

Did we mention that there will be prizes? Aside from fame and the admiration of your peers, the Grand Prize Winner and Honorable Mentions may all see their poems featured in a book of Frog Poetry we will produce. Contest winners will also be acknowledged on this website, alongside a copy of their poem. And to top it off:

The Grand Prize Winner will:

(1) Receive $100 CASH (or check!).

(2) Receive $75 worth of "Frog Cash" to be used for any of the cool, environmentally-friendly merchandise in the SAVE THE FROGS! Gift Center.

(3) Become an official judge of next year's SAVE THE FROGS! Poetry Contest.

(4) Receive frog fame!

The 2nd and 3rd Place Winners will:

(1) Receive $75 worth of "Frog Cash" to be used for any of the cool, environmentally-friendly merchandise in the SAVE THE FROGS! Gift Center.

(2) Receive frog fame!

Categories

As past years' contests have proven that amazing poetry comes from people of all ages, there will be no special categories.

Contest Rules

(1) Submitted poetry must be your original creation!

(2) Be sure to mention at least one of the following: frogs, salamanders, newts, toads, caecilians, amphibians, savethefrogs.com, and/or SAVE THE FROGS!

(3) You may submit up to two poems. Please always give us the title of each poem. Please do NOT name your poems "Save The Frogs".

(4) Submission of poetry constitutes your agreement to the Poetry Contest Terms & Conditions. Please read these over, as they describe your rights to the submitted poetry as well as ours.

(5) All entries are to be submitted no later than 11:59pm U.S. Eastern Time on October 15th, 2012. Email submissions must be RECEIVED by October 15th, 2012. Mail-in entries must be POSTMARKED by October 15th, 2012.

Suggestions

(1) The word frog, toad, newt, salamander, caecilian or amphibian should appear somewhere in the body of the poem.

(2) No religious content.

(3) Check your spelling.

(4) Be original and creative!

(5) No need to write a long poem...though you are welcome to if you are so inspired!

Please spread the word!

To make this contest successful we need your help spreading the word! If you are a teacher, please inform your fellow teachers. This contest makes for a great class project on April 30th, Save The Frogs Day. If you are a student, please deliver this flyer to your teachers. Please put this flyer up around your school as well (left-click on the image and a PDF will open).