Official Rules

WINTER 2024 – 2025 Contest

Postmark deadline: April 6, 2025, at 11:59 PM, Pacific Standard Time (PST)

Eligibility:

The Dream Quest One Poetry and Writing Contest – WINTER 2024 – 2025 is open to everyone, internationally, and to all poets and writers whether published or not, regardless of experience. Current and former employees of Dreamquestone.Com or their relatives are not eligible. Previously published poems and short stories in other contests, books, magazines, etc. are accepted and welcomed as long as they are original works created by the contest entrant(s). All entries must be composed or translated into the English language.

Poems must be (30) lines or fewer and may be either neatly handwritten or typed, using single or double line spacing, on any subject, theme, style, shape, or form. Entries must be original works.

Short stories may be on any subject or theme. For example, fiction, non-fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, diaries, journal entries, short stage-plays, and screenplays are accepted. Contestants will enter their short stories either neatly hand-printed or typed, using single or double line spacing, within a maximum of (5) pages or less. All entries must be original works.

You may submit entries to both the poetry contest and the writing contest, at the same time.

Multiple entries are accepted.

Awards:

Poetry First Prize is $250.00, Second: $125.00, Third: $50.00
Writing First Prize is $500.00, Second: $250.00, Third: $100.00

Fees:

The entry fee is $5.00 (US dollars) per poem.
The entry fee is $10.00 (US dollars) per short story.

These fees may be paid by mail or PayPal (online payment service). A $2.00 transaction fee will be added per poem or story entry fee if fees are paid online. Each poem/story entry must be paid individually if using the PayPal payment option. Note: The postmark deadline to send all current WINTER 2024-2025 poetry contest entries, writing contest entries, and entry fee payments is April 6, 2025, at 11:59 PM, Pacific Standard Time (PST). Our poetry contest and writing contest winners’ notifications, and online publications date is June 30, 2025. All winning poems and short stories will be published online, on our Dare to Dream pages.

ATTENTION!

Due to technical difficulties, our previous Dream Quest One Summer 2024 contest winners’ notification and publication date has been pushed back from November 30, 2024, to December 11, 2024. Stay tuned to Dream Quest One for contest news announcements and updates. Keep in mind our Winter 2024-2025 competition is in full swing! ENTER NOW! for a chance to win cash prizes totaling $1275!

Submitted poems/stories that come without an entry fee will be disqualified.

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Poetry/Writing Entries Via Postal Mail:

1. Print out the Mail-in entry form.

2. Fill out the entry form with your current and correct information.

3. All Poems and Short Story Contest entries must be neatly handwritten or typed and submitted with the poet’s/writer’s name, address, phone number, and email address (if applicable), in the upper left-hand corner of each entry.

4. Include $5.00 entry fee payments for each poem submitted. Add a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope (SASE) for entry confirmation, if you choose. Include a payment of $10.00 for each short story. Add a (SASE) Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope (SASE) for entry confirmation, if you choose.

5. There are no limits to your entries.

6. Make personal checks, cashier’s checks, or money orders payable to “DREAMQUESTONE.COM”. Cash payments are not accepted. (Entries from outside the United States are fine, but entry fees must be made in US dollars. Foreign entrants are strongly urged to use international money orders rather than personal checks). Personal checks must be cleared– entries will not be considered valid until they do. Dreamquestone.Com is not responsible for lost entries or payments.

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Poetry/Writing Entries Electronical via Email/PayPal:

1. Please use the PayPal links near the bottom of the Enter Now! page to enter.

2. The entry fee of $7.00 for each poem and $12.00 for each short story submission will be entered. (Note: Electronic submissions require a two-dollar ($2.00) transaction fee to be included with the entry fee). Select the number of the entry fee(s) you will submit. After completing the transaction, send your Poetry Contest and Writing Contest entries electronically by email.

3. Entries sent electronically must be sent as email attachments in a word processing document such as Microsoft Word (.doc) or (.docx), Word Perfect (.wpd), Rich Text Format (.rtf), Open Document Format (.odt), or Portable Document Format (pdf). “Poetry Contest Entry(ies),” “Writing Contest Entry(ies),” or “Poetry & Writing Contest Entry(ies)” must be typed in the subject line of the email. The information requested on the entry form can either be included in the typed Word processing document or typed directly into the body of an email message. If included in the Word document, entry form information should be on the first page. The contest poem(s) or short story entry(ies) must be on a separate page from the entry form information. PayPal payment(s) must be made before submitting the poem(s) and short story(ies) entry(ies).

4. There are no limits to your entries. Entrants cannot send payments by postal mail and submit entries electronically. Either both payments and entries must be sent by postal mail or both must be sent electronically. Entries will not be returned.

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*Postmark deadline: April 6, 2025, at 11:59 PM – Pacific Standard Time (PST)
The WINTER 2024-2025 poetry contest and writing contest winners will be notified and published online on the Dare to Dream pages, on June 30, 2025.

Decisions:

Judges are members of Dream Quest One -Dare to Dream Master Selection Committee. All poems are judged based on originality, creativity, characterization, artistic quality, adherence to the 30-line limit, and the ability to dream. All short stories are judged based on originality, creative imagination, character introduction, and development; plot development, adherence to the (5) page limit, and the ability to dream. All decisions of the judges are final. Andre L. West is the final judge.

Privacy Policy:

Dream Quest One.com does not release or sell customer or contest entrant information to third parties or mailing lists, nor will you receive telephone solicitations. We occasionally send news about Dream Quest One products and contests to contest entrants, customers, and members of our mailing list (no more than twice a month). You may opt out of these notices at any time by sending a request to “alwest56@hotmail.com” or by using the ‘Safe Unsubscribe’ link inside an emailed newsletter.

Rights:

All poems and stories remain the property of the artist(s) who wrote or created them. By submitting a poem/story to this contest, the artist(s) may also be eligible for the publication of her or his work by Dreamquestone.Com. However, if any contest winner does not wish to have her/his winning poem and/or story published online, one may request to have her/his entry(ies) omitted.

Refunds and Payments:

If you want an entry fee(s) refund or have any problems entering the Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest, or you would like to withdraw your Poetry Contest/Writing Contest entries and receive a refund before the contest deadline, please contact us via email, at alwest56@hotmail.com, and let us know. Henceforth, we will gladly remove your entry(ies) and submit your entry fee(s) refund, as soon as possible. If you have any problems with the entry fee(s) payments, we will be eager to resolve them as well. Our main focus is for poets and writers to continue writing poetry and prose, while enjoying the process and journey, by expressing themselves through experiences in the Humanities and the Fine Arts & Writing communities.

Notifications and Publications:

Contest deadlines and publishing dates are subject to change. All Prize-winners will be notified by postal mail, email, or telephone. Upon the completion of each contest run, the top three winning entries in both contests, poets/writers, their names, and brief biographical information may be published on our Dare to Dream pages, at the Dream Quest One Poetry and Writing Contest website, and on our print media.

For further information, inquiries, submissions/entries contact us at our mailing address:

c/o Andre L. West, Editor
Dream Quest One
P.O. Box 804632
Chicago, IL 60680

USA

Email us at alwest56@hotmail.com