Poets wish either to profit or to delight; or to deliver at once both the pleasures and the necessaries of life. Whatever precepts you give, be concise; that docile minds may soon comprehend what is said, and faithfully retain it.

- Quintus Horatius Flaccus (65 BCE)

A microphone surrounded by the words "Fire and Ash Poetry Salon Competition" and "Apply Today". In the top right corner is the URL "fireandashpublishers.com".

Fire & Ash Publishers Salon Competition

Welcome to the Fire and Ash Publishers Salon Competition. This competition seeks to provide a platform for local poets to present their works to industry professionals in a warm and inviting setting. Each month, we will select four (4) poets to read a selection of their own poetry and join us in an evening of artistic collaboration and revelry. 

An adjudication panel will read all submissions and will anonymously select a number of finalists, based solely on their poems. We ask that each finalist submit a short video of them reading one of their poems. Should you be accepted as a finalist, a small honorarium of $50 CAD will be provided to you. You will also be invited to read your poem at one of our monthly salon nights. We recommend all entrants read the following rules carefully before entering. If you have any questions, please contact admin@fireandashpublishers.com.

Rules

General Rules

  1. The competition is open to anyone aged 18 or over at the time of entering.

  2. The closing date for submissions is February 14th, 2025, at 11:59 PM EST

  3. Each entrant can only make one entry per month. All entries are considered anonymously by the judges.

  4. Entries are to be submitted digitally. We will not accept physical submissions.

  5. Under no circumstances will late submissions be accepted. 

  6. Once an entry is submitted, no changes to the entry can be made.

  7. Fire and Ash Publishing reserves the right to change the adjudication panel without notice. 

  8. The adjudication panel will read all entries. Their decision is final.

  9. No previous winner is eligible to enter the Fire and Ash Publishers Salon Competition.

Poems

  1. All entries are judged anonymously. The poet’s name must not appear on the poem itself.

  2. All poems must have a title and must not exceed 55 lines in length (excluding title). Entries can be on any subject.

  3. Poems must be written in English.

  4. Entries must not have been published, self-published, published on a website or made public on social media, broadcast or featured among the winners in another competition before the date of January 1st, 2025

Videos or Audio

  1. Each entrant can only submit one (1) video or audio link.

  2. The video must be between 2 to 5 minutes in length.

  3. The video does not need to be of professional quality, so long as you, the poet, are visible and the audio is clear enough to be understood. For audio submissions, the text has to be clearly understood.

  4. The video or audio file has no bearing on the final selection of the competition. It simply allows us to better know you and your style.