SWAV Poetry invites everyone on Earth to participate in the Spoken Word, Audio, and Video (SWAV) Poetry Contest. All poets, all styles.
Serious poets from all backgrounds and levels of experience are invited to submit to this free international poetry contest. All styles of poetry and all topics are welcome.
SWAV Poetry recognizes that poetry originated in the oral tradition. Nowadays, at poetry open mics, poetry readings and performances, poetry slams, and in online audio and video, the aural performance of poems is a way that people connect deeply with poetry. The SWAV Poetry Contest showcases poets striving to connect with their audience using spoken word, audio, and video poetry.
*New* – Editor's Choice
The winning poem qualifies for the Wax Poetry and Art Magazine Editor's Choice,
which will be given to one of the new works published or featured in each issue of Wax Poetry and Art Magazine.
The selected work will receive recognition and a $10 CAD prize.
Submission Deadlines
Submissions are open all year, broken into three periods, each four months long.
The three submission periods close on the following dates, every year.
– January 14th
– May 14th
– September 14th
The Spoken Word, Audio, and Video (SWAV) Poetry Contest is presented by SWAV Poetry, an international network of poetry magazines. Visit the SWAV Poetry Submissions page to view all current opportunities.
SWAV Poetry is part of waxpoetryart.com – the website for people who love poetry, art, photography, fiction, and plays.
Visit the SWAV Poetry About page to read the Code of Conduct and Privacy Policy, and to learn more about SWAV Poetry. Use the Back button on your browser to return to this page.
The SWAV Poetry Contest is published in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada by Florencia Bay Books. Edited and designed by Kirk Ramdath. Nanaimo is located on the traditional and unceded territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation of the Coast Salish People.
View previous winners in previous issues of the SWAV Poetry Collection, published in the SWAV Poetry Library, starting on May 15th, 2026 with the initial publications.
Essential details:
– Free to enter.
– Submit one poem.
– There is no initial cash prize.
– First Place will be chosen.
– Read and follow guidelines carefully to submit.
You must agree with the terms on this page to make a submission to this contest. Your submission will be considered proof of your agreement and as such, no additional contract will be required for publication to proceed.
Agreement Statement
You must include the following statement with your submission:
"I agree with the guidelines for submissions to the SWAV Poetry Contest."
Submissions are open to everyone on Earth. All poets, all styles.
Please prepare your submission carefully.
Submission Timeline:
Note About Time Zones
Please note that dates and times are based on the time zone where the magazine is published in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada –
Pacific Daylight (Savings) Time, GMT-7 (see clock just below).
For most places in the world, this will give you some extra hours to submit.
(London and Lagos are 8 hrs ahead, Mumbai is 12.5 hrs ahead, and Sydney is 17 hrs ahead.)
Once the date on the display shows January 15th, May 15th, and September 15th,
a new submission period has begun and the previous period has ended.
HOWEVER, 24 hours grace will be granted for late submissions.
As long as the time stamp on your submission email in my inbox shows January 15th, May 15th, or September 15th,
your submission will be considered for the previous period.
The following time display shows the current date and time in Nanaimo.
Submission Period Dates
Submission Period 1: January 15th to May 14th
Submission Period 2: May 15th to September 14th
Submission Period 3: September 15th to January 14th
Dates for Notice of Acceptance
Submission Period 1: Receive notice by July 15th
Submission Period 2: Receive notice by November 15th
Submission Period 3: Receive notice by March 15th
Publication Schedule
Submission Period 1: Published on September 15th
Submission Period 2: Published on January 15th
Submission Period 3: Published on May 15th
Language of Publication
The language of publication is English.
Limited use of a few words using indigenous languages or local terms is acceptable when appropriate, if translations are provided in the notes.
Use phonetic English spellings for words in languages that have non-Latin character sets so that English-language readers
will be able to read and pronounce the words. (eg. Mandarin, Russian, Hindi, Greek, etc.)
No Attachments for Text
The entire submission must be copied and pasted or manually transcribed into the body
of a single email and sent to the email address shown below.
Do not include any text of your submission in an attachment.
Number of Poems
Submit one spoken word, audio, or video poem.
Poem Format: Link to Embeddable Audio / Video
Upload the audio or video of your poem to a website such as Soundcloud or YouTube, that allows the file to be viewed publicly,
and embedded into a website. Provide the link to the audio or video recording to submit your poem.
All Styles
All styles of spoken word, audio, and video poets are invited to submit.
Audio Component is Essential
The key component is the audio reading or performance of the poem.
Therefore, video poems where the poem is displayed and not read or performed, will not be considered.
Maximum Running Time: 5 Minutes
The audio or video recording should not run longer than 5 minutes.
Previously Unpublished
The poem submitted must be completely original to the aritst.
The audio or video recording you submit must be previously unpublished in another publication,
or as part of an audio or video album (or collection) of poems.
All other situations, the audio or video poem is considered as unpublished and may be submitted.
If the text of the poem has been published, you can still submit an audio or video version
(as long as the audio or video version has not been published).
If accepted, the work must also remain unpublished until it is published by this magazine.
SWAV Poetry believes that publications specializing in spoken word, audio, and video poetry
are rare, and therefore believes there is a treasure of SWAV Poetry waiting to be uncovered.
Agree Not to Move, Alter, or Delete Poem
If accepted, your poem must remain at the link you provided and continue to be publicly accessible, perpetually,
so that it will always be accessible from this publication, once published.
Cast & Crew
If your spoken word, audio, or video poem has any cast and crew, such as performers, a producer, or a director,
provide the details when submitting.
Suggest Keywords (Optional)
Suggest three keywords (or short phrases) for your submission, based on the themes of the submission.
Keywords can help your work be found in Internet searches by people who may be interested in the themes that your work represents.
Do not take keywords from the text of your work, as this is already done.
Rather, consider in a more general way, what your work is about, and who will find your work interesting,
using words that are not included in the text portions of your submission.
For instance, consider a poem about a father taking his two teenage sons on a backpacking trip in the Catskill Mountains.
Three possible keywords are fatherhood, male bonding, hiking Appalachia.
Underage Artists (Less than 18 Years Old)
Persons under 18 years old are welcome to submit with the permission of a parent or guardian who has read these guidelines and agreed to them.
Persons under 18 must include their Date of Birth and the name of the parent or guardian who has read these guidelines and granted permission.
Note to Parents: Most of the work published in this magazine is appropriate for a general audience.
However, this magazine may contain any theme within the scope of art, including mature themes.
This magazine is not intended for young children and parental guidance is advised.
Persons 18 years old and under can also submit to Young Poets World,
which is specifically for young poets and will not include mature themes.
Prohibition on AI-generated Text, Images, Audio, and Video
Submissions found to contain text or imagery generated by artificial intelligence (AI) will be automatically discarded
and the submitter will be permanently prohibited from submitting to any publications published and edited by myself, Kirk Ramdath.
Using AI to create audio or video for a poem will result in disqualification.
Prohibition on Harmful Content
As per the Code of Conduct, work that is considered harmful toward any group of people will not be considered.
Work that uses derogatory terms for women or marginalized people will not be considered.
Biography
Include a short biography, approximately 100 words, maximum.
Please do not list more than five previous publications.
If you have social media artist pages, you can include links at the end of your biography.
Long biographies will be truncated at the editor's discretion.
The biography should be a short description of the artist can comprise, for example, previously published work,
hobbies and interests, general motivations for being creative, social media pages, etc.
The biography should not be a note about the submitted work.
If it is necessary to include a note about the work, place the note at the end of the work, not within your biography.
Updating Biographies for those with Artist Pages
All published poets receive their own SWAV Poetry Artist Page.
To update the biography on your Artist Page, you must,
1) Make a new submission.
2) Specify that you've included an "Updated Biography" in your new submission.
3) Then, if your new submission is accepted, your biography will be updated.
Currently, this is the only way to update the biography on your Artist Page.
Ad hoc changes are not possible at this time.
Artist Name, Legal Name, and Mailing, Postal, or Residential Address
Include your artist name and if different, your legal name, and your complete mailing address
including street number, street name, city, province / state, country, postal code, and optional phone / WhatsApp number.
Please note: Although providing your phone number is optional, it is recommended, in case an urgent matter concering your work arises,
which has happened.
Notice of Receipt of Your Submission
All submissions will receive an automated reply confirming that the email containing your submission has been received.
If your submission is correctly formatted, within 30 days, you will receive confirmation that your submission is correct and will proceed to the review stage.
Submission Queries: Wait 30 Days
Unfortunately, some email servers may send the automated reply to your junk mail folder, or otherwise prevent it from reaching your inbox.
In the vast majority of cases, your email was received.
Please do not send queries about your submission until 30 days have passed.
This allows the publication time to process your email.
Simultaneous Submissions Not Allowed
Simultaneous submissions are not allowed.
Do not submit the same work to any other publication (including other waxpoetryart.com
publications and contests).
Additional Submissions
You can make one submission to the SWAV Poetry Contest every submission period.
To submit more spoken word, audio, and video poetry,
visit the SWAV Poetry Submissions page to view opportunities.
To submit poetry, art, photography, fiction, and plays, visit waxpoetryart.com.
Updating Submissions
If necessary, you can update your submission once only.
Send a new, complete submission before the submission deadline.
Your original submission will be deleted and replaced by the Updated Submission.
After the submission deadline, your submission (including your biography) cannot be updated.
Withdrawing Submissions
Until the submission deadline, you can withdraw your submission with an email without the need to provide an explanation.
After the submission deadline passes and the review period begins,
withdrawing your submission can affect the review process and decisions about other submissions.
Therefore, after the submission deadline, withdrawing your submission is possible,
but will result in a permanent prohibition from submitting to all Florencia Bay Books publications,
unless there is an urgent reason for the withdrawal.
Please do not submit any work that you are not fully intending to publish if accepted.
Notice of Acceptance
Accepted submissions will be notified by the dates mentioned above in the "Dates for Notice of Acceptance" section.
Submissions that are not accepted for publication will not receive a direct notice of rejection,
and will expire once the the Date for Notice passes, or earlier, as noted on the Submissions Status page, as described in the next paragraph.
Submission Status Page
The Date for Notice of Acceptance is the latest date that results will be available.
Every effort will be made to complete reviewing at an earlier time.
As soon as reviewing is completed and accepted submissions are notified,
the Submissions Status webpage will be updated,
and non-accepted submissions will expire.
Check the Submissions Status page
at any time to view the status of your submission.
Number of Winners
One poem will be selected.
– First Place.
The winning poem will be published in the SWAV Poetry Collection, which is published in the SWAV Poetry Library. The winning poem will also be featured in Wax Poetry and Art Magazine, which is published in the Wax Poetry and Art Library. Also, new publications will be added to the submitter's Artist Page and Country Page. See more information about Artist Pages and Country Pages, below.
Accessible to All
This publication is available to the public for free.
All published work is accessible to anyone who has access to the internet.
This means that you will be able to share your work with as many people as possible.
Even for experienced artists, it is rare to have a published work that all family, friends, fans, colleagues, and truly,
the entire world can enjoy.
SWAV Poetry World Cup Qualification
Every submission accepted and published in all SWAV Poetry publications qualifies for the SWAV Poetry World Cup.
The most-read poems (based on visitors to the SWAV Poetry web page) from ten different countries
published in all SWAV Poetry publications during the calendar year will be
chosen to represent their nations
during the SWAV Poetry World Cup that will happen the next year after publication, on January 15th.
View the inaugural Poetry World Cup 2025,
which is the inspiration for the SWAV Poetry World Cup.
Copyright
Copyright of the poem remains with the original artist.
First Publication
Upon acceptance, the poet grants the publisher, Florencia Bay Books,
the right to the first publication of the poem,
as well as the right to republish the poem in SWAV Poetry and waxpoetryart.com anthologies and collections,
online and in print, without additional permission required.
Royalties for Physical Audio / Video Sales
If the work is ever collected into a book or made available for sale in any physical format (such as an audio album),
the artist will receive a minimum 20% royalty.
If the work is included in a collection with other artists (as is most likely), the 20% royalty is shared equally among all artists,
based on the number of submissions contributed.
If the work is ever made available for sale in a digital format, a 50% royalty will be given.
Royalties for print and electronic sales will be paid out annually in January if a minimum of $10 CAD is accrued.
Artist Page and Artist Collection
All published artists receive a SWAV Poetry Artist Page.
The Artist Page will house the artist's biography and the list of their publications across the SWAV Poetry Network.
Once the artist accumulates 12 publications on their Artist Page, and every 12 publications thereafter,
an Artist Collection will be published in the Library on a specified date.
This Artist Collection will be published in the SWAV Poetry Library alongside collections
such as the SWAV Poetry Collection.
National and Other Collections
In addition to being added to their own artist page, new publications are also added to the
Countries page for their nation.
Once a country accumulates 24 publications, and every 24 publications thereafter, a National Collection will be published in the Library.
As well, collections based on specific themes may be assembled and published at any publication date.
There is no additional payment or royalty advance for inclusion in a National or other collection.
There will not be additional notifications if your work is included in a National or other collection that is published online.
This is because a collection is not a new publication, but rather is a new feature of an already-published work.
You will be notified if your work appears in an online collection and is chosen to be published in a print version of the collection.
No Initial Payment
As an independent, free publication, it's currently not possible to offer initial payment.
However, poets do qualify for the Editor's Choice prize, as described below.
*New* – Qualification for Editor's Choice
The winning poem qualifies for the Wax Poetry and Art Magazine Editor's Choice,
which will be given to one of the new works published or featured in each issue of Wax Poetry and Art Magazine.
The selected work will receive recognition and a $10 CAD prize, paid within 30 days of publication.
Additional Rights Granted
The artist also grants the publisher the right to share the work or parts of the work, as applicable,
on third party platforms such as Facebook and other social media,
specifically for the purpose of sharing the artist with more people,
and considering the evolving and experimental nature of the Internet.
This allows the publication to take advantage of any possible viral opportunity that may benefit the artist
and which may be time-sensitive in nature.
Editor's Right to Edit
The editor reserves the right to make whatever changes are deemed necessary, at any time, to ensure that publication occurs.
Email Subject Header
Use the following statement as your email subject header:
– "SWAV Poetry Contest submission."
No Attachments for Text (Reminder)
The entire submission must be copied and pasted or manually transcribed into the body of a single email
and sent to the email address shown below.
Do not include any text of your submission in an attachment.
Submission Checklist
Submissions must include the following four components.
1) Agreement Statement
"I agree with the guidelines for submissions to the SWAV Poetry Contest."
2) Poem
Submit to the link to where the audio or video file is hosted on a site such as Soundcloud or YouTube.
Keyword Suggestions (Optional)
Suggest three keywords or short phrases.
3) Biography
4) Postal Mailing Address / Address of Residence
– Artist Name:
– Legal Name (if different from your Artist Name):
– Street Number and Name:
– City:
– Province/State:
– Country:
– Postal Code:
– (Optional) Phone / WhatsApp:
Send your submission by email to info@florenciabaybooks.com.
About the Editor
Kirk Ramdath is the publisher, editor, and designer of SWAV Poetry
and the waxpoetryart.com publications.
He has read and performed at poetry events in Vancouver, Toronto, Halifax, and many other cities in Canada.
Kirk had the honour of opening the world-famous Peace Bridge in Calgary in 2012.
He has been a publisher since 2005.
He also organized many dozen poetry events, around the 2010s.
Particularly, open-mic poetry events with a featured artist.
Kirk's first book, Love in a Handful of Dust,
was published by Frontenac House in 2011, and republished by Florencia Bay Books in 2025.
He has three other poetry books near completion.
In 2002, Kirk obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature, with Distinction,
and a Minor in Philosophy from the University of Calgary, in Canada.
Kirk was born in Trinidad and Tobago, moved to Canada at age 10 with his family,
and now writes and publishes from Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada.
Return to SWAV Poetry Submissions
Return to Wax Poetry and Art Submissions
SWAV Poetry is part of waxpoetryart.com.
- Visit the SWAV Poetry Submissions page to see all opportunities.
- Visit the SWAV Poetry Library.
- This website and all contents ©Kirk Ramdath and specified artists.
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