Tanka Time #1: 2014

Five LinesOur heartiest welcome to all tanka lovers around the globe!  It is with great pleasure we announce the start of friendly, informal tanka bouts here at Mandy’s Pages called ‘Tanka Time’.

Tanka Time will run during the entire month of March each year. This interactive endeavor is an initiative to foster growth, literary value and motivation to write theme-based individual tanka. We do believe that each of us will embrace this as a venue to pursue our love for tanka.  Tanka Time has been inspired by the European Quarterly Kukai that is organized for Haiku.

Guidelines for Submission’ as well as the ‘Judging Procedure’ are outlined below. 

Thank you for your support and for participating.

 

~ Susan Burch & Amanda Dcosta 


 Guidelines for Submission

  1. Theme: MARCH
    (eg. Verb: march; 3rd person present: marches; past tense: marched; past participle: marched; gerund or present participle: marching . Noun: March)
  2. Form: Individual tanka
  3. Each participant is allowed to submit ONLY ONE individual tanka to Tanka Time starting March 01, 2014. 
  4. Submissions have to be original and unpublished tanka.  (Tanka shared via social media will not be accepted.)
  5. There will be no entry fee for Tanka Time participation.
  6. Email your entries to Susan Burch at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . We start accepting submissions from March 01, 2014. 
  7. Subject for the email will be: Tanka Time #1: MARCH / Author's Name
  8. You will add details such as name and location below your tanka in the body of the email.
  9. Please do not send any attachments along with your email. Each tanka should be neatly spaced in the body of the email.
  10. We request that you do not disclose your submissions online at public discussions prior to judging. 

Judging Procedure

  1. Tanka Time #1 runs from March 01, 2014 – March 31, 2014.  Judging will take place during the first week of April 2014.
  2. Each participant will have to judge the list of entries in order to be an active participant for the respective round.  Failure to judge the entries will automatically disqualify the entrant from scoring points.
  3. Each participant will receive the list of submissions by email. 
  4. Entries will be anonymous.
  5. You are not allowed to rate your submission. 
  6. Rating will follow a specific pattern.  Each participant has a total of 7 points to distribute between the tanka of their choice.  These 7 points may be awarded to tanka as 1, 2 or 3 points each, with 3 points awarded to only one entry from the list.
  7. All scores will be tallied to determine the winners.
  8. The results of Tanka Time will be announced by April 15.
  9. The top three entries will be posted on the website. 
  10. Each winning entry will receive a ‘Certificate of Merit’ from Mandy’s Pages. 

Example of the Rating Procedure: Distribution of 7 points by participant. 

Entry #1      -                
Entry #2 3
Entry #3 -
Entry #4 2
Entry #5 1
Entry #6 No rates: Participant's own submission         
Entry #7 1

Image Credit: Penn Papyri database at Wikimedia Commons