The Once Upon My Time Poetry Contest
Open to paid members only. All styles welcome.
Judge: Blaine Marchand FREE Entry
Subject & Theme
Poems to be written about your childhood.
You may write about a significant incident, or a situation encountered over several years: being a latchkey child, a favourite childhood toy or pet, a school experience, field trip, favourite teacher, being an older or younger sibling, being bullied, getting lost, a fear you once had, or something that amazed or inspired you. All themes and styles welcome. Poems must be unpublished and not sent elsewhere.
Awards
All contest winners receive an award certificate and a chapbook with the winning poems.
Submission Rules
- Length: Submit up to 5 poems, no longer than 28 lines each. Poem titles are not counted as lines but stanza spaces are.
- Width: Up to 40 characters per line, including all punctuation and spaces between the words.
- Formatting: 8.5" x 11" paper, single spaced in Arial 12 font.
- Status: Poems must be unpublished and not sent elsewhere.
Blind Judging Instructions
No author information should appear anywhere on the same page as the poem (front or back). Please include a separate cover page with your name, complete mailing address (including apt.# and postal code), phone number, email if possible, and a list of poem titles (first line if no poem title).
How to Enter
Entry Fee:
FREE!
Mail submissions to:
The Ontario Poetry Society#710 - 65 Spring Garden Ave.
Toronto, ON M2N 6H9
Submissions to be mailed on or before August 31, 2026.