Poetry Tournament
The Course of the Tournament
At the beginning of every year Pivec Publishing House invites applications for the tournament that is to include one unpublished Slovene poem. A jury consisting of experts on contemporary poetry then chooses 24 poems, after which the selected authors compete in two semi-final poetry tournaments. There the poets give interpretations of their work, among which four poems are chosen by the jury with an additional two by the audience; in the final round of the tournament twelve poems therefore compete for the title of knight or lady knight of poetry, a cash prize, and a hand-forged iron rose. The audience is also given a voice by allowing them to select their favourite poem. In the final tournament prominent poets, past winners, various musicians and theatre artists give performances. The finale is held during Slovene Book Days in Maribor, while the semi-finals are organised in different cities around Slovenia or its neighbouring countries.
Poems presented at the finale are published in the Poetry Tournament journal and literary magazine Rp. Lirikon21. More than 150 poems from Slovenia and its neighbouring countries enter the competition every year. The Poetry Tournament is unique because all other Slovene poetry awards are intended for collections and not individual unpublished poems. Both budding and acclaimed poets are thus given an opportunity to present their unpublished work and gain recognition.
European Poetry Tournament
In 2012 when Maribor was the European Capital of Culture, the tournament was expanded into the European Poetry Tournament, joining six countries: Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Slovakia. In cooperation with other foreign organizations, juries chose the best unpublished poem from their country to participate and represent their country in the European Poetry Tournament. The tournament was won by Franci Novak from Slovenia, the audience award went to Daniela Raimondi from Italy. The featured poems were translated into Slovenian and English and published in the journal.
See also
- Pivec Publishing House
- Maribor, European Capital of Culture 2012
- Slovene Book Days
- Velenje Literary Foundation (Rp. Lirikon21)
External links
- Poetry Tournament (in Slovenian)