Here’s how it works:

1. A poem is to be considered “submitted” when it is posted in the normal course of events on the About Poetry Forum (not in the InterBoard Poetry Competition folder). Any Forum member may nominate a poem posted by someone else for consideration in the current month’s competition, by posting the poem in the InterBoard Poetry Competition folder on the Forum. Please do not nominate your own poems.
2. In order to be considered for entry in the IBPC representing the About Poetry Forum, the poets whose poems have been nominated must post their permission and the required information (name, email address, confirmation the poem has not been previously published) in a response to the nomination thread. When you’ve made a nomination, you should notify the poet whose work you have put forward, so that they may fulfill this requirement and also give their final word on the text of the poem.
3. During the month when nominations are being collected, Forum members may comment on the nominated poems and offer suggestions for revision by replying to the poem posting in the InterBoard Poetry Competition folder.
4. At the end of the month, Poetry Guide Margy Snyder will select three poems to represent our Poetry Forum in that month’s competition.
5. In order to be considered for entry in the IBPC representing the About Poetry Forum, the poets whose poems have been nominated must post their permission and the required information (name, email address, confirmation the poem has not been previously published) in a response to the nomination thread. When you’ve made a nomination, you should notify the poet whose work you have put forward, so that they may fulfill this requirement and also give their final word on the text of the poem.
6. Our entered poems will be compiled with those entered by the other boards and sent to an outside judge.
7. If the same poem is selected by multiple boards, only one copy will be advanced to the judge. All boards nominating the poem will be noted, in case it wins or places. Each board will announce its picks at the end of the monthly contest, after submitting them to the judge.
8. Copyright on entered poems shall be retained by the author.
9. Judges will be changed periodically. Any participating board administrator/editor can suggest or nominate a judge. The judge shall be a neutral party, whose tenure will be three months. Suggestions for new judges will be considered one month prior to end of term.
10. Any editor may enter a poem. If s/he posts on the “home board,” a conflict of interest should be avoided. One way to do this is to rotate the board judge monthly, but it’s not the only way. Each board will work out its internal administration. (Margy will not be entering any of her own poems from the About Poetry Forum.)
11. These rules are subject to change as the competition evolves.