Eisteddford poetry contest hosted at BYU

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    TOVE I. S. GERHARDSE

    The annual Eisteddfod poetry contest, which has since the mid-80s been arranged at BYU by the College of Humanities, is open for all and the deadline is Feb. 15, 1997.

    “The Eisteddford poetry contest is a Welsh contest that has been going on for centuries in Wales,” said Lance Larsen, a professor in the BYU English Department.

    “It is a large cultural competition also in music and other areas, but we have decided to focus on the poetry,” he said.

    Originally, in the 13th century, they only had the poetry, said Leslie Norris, a professor in the BYU English Department and a well-known Welsh poet.

    The reason why we keep the tradition is because the competition highlights the Welsh culture, and it promotes poetry, Larsen said.

    The Eisteddford contest is a competition to determine the most talented poets. Prizes are awarded for the best ode and the best lyric poem at each Eisteddford, which is defined as ‘a meeting for competition,’ Larsen said.

    The competition for the best ode is called the “Chairman competition,” because the winner receives a miniature chair and $300.

    “The ode is longer and more serious,” Norris said. The ode has to be between 50 and 150 lines long, and there is a specialized theme. The theme this year is “overcoat.”

    The “Crown competition” is for lyric poems under 100 lines, and the winner receives a miniature crown and $300. This year’s topic is “chairs.”

    “Each poet submits work under a pseudonym,” Larsen said. This is done to make sure that the judges’ decisions are unbiased, he said.

    The names of the winners are later announced at a ceremony, which this year will be held in April during a performance of the BYU Women’s Chorus, Larsen said.

    The rituals at this ceremony are as real as possible, and part of it is read in Welsh, Norris said.

    Norris has been serving on the committee that determines the topics for about 12 years.

    “We set the theme a year before the competition. Then we think of the potentials and come to a consensus,” Norris said.

    There are independent judges every year. We also send the poems to judges in Wales, Norris said.

    At first the interest varied and it depended on how well we advertised it. Now it is quite well-known and much more consistent, Norris said.

    In Wales they have local Eisteddfod contests as well as the great national Eisteddfod. In Provo and Utah there are a lot of people who have ancestors from Wales because many people joined the church in Wales, Norris said.

    There is a $3 entry fee. Entries can be sent to the Eisteddfod Poetry Competition in the College of Humanities, 2054 JKHB.

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