Poetry contest sees overwhelming respons

The power of poetry and its hold on the public imagination is still alive and well if a recent event is anything to judge by.

The inaugural International Chinese Poetry Contest, organized by artsbj.com. has had to almost double its number of awards. The contest has drawn more than 80,000 entries, as well as more than 100 collections of poems. “Due to the volume of submissions, we decided to increase the number of second and third prizes, expand the category for debut poets and added a ‘100 outstanding poets’ award, ” Yang Ermin, poet and director of the review committee said at the award ceremony on Thursday in Beijing.

Poetry prizes usually have one winner for each category. The contest has two runner-up spots and three awards for third place. But the contest left its first-prize slot open. “The contest is in its first year and we feel the entries have yet to match our highest standard,” Yang Lian, the poet and director of the committee said. “The greatest works should stand the test of time as well as resonate across the world.”

Awards were given to familiar names, including Zang Di, Yu Jian and Cao Shu but aspiring poets have also emerged. Guo Jinniu wrote about his time in Foxconn and Zhong Shuo wrote ethereal short pieces. Both received the debut prize of 10,000 yuan ($1,626) in prize money and a chance to publish their works in the future. Selected works from the contest will be translated into English and published outside of China. Submission for the 2013 contest begun on July 15.