Villanelle

The Prompt

A villanelle is a 19-line poetic form consisting of five tercets (three-line stanzas) followed by a concluding quatrain (four-line stanza). The unique feature of a villanelle is its strict rhyme pattern, where the first and third lines of the opening tercet are alternately repeated as the final lines of the following tercets and then collectively appear as the last two lines of the poem. It follows this pattern: ABA ABA ABA ABA ABA ABAA. You can learn more about the form here.

Experiment with the repetition of lines to create a rhythmic and cohesive flow within the structure. The form's rhyming constraint offers a chance to explore creative storytelling while adhering to a set pattern. The interplay of repetition and variation constructs a poem that is both disciplined and expressive.

Feel free to choose a theme that resonates with you, whether it be nature, personal experiences, or abstract concepts. The goal is to appreciate the balance between structure, intensity, and artistic expression that the villanelle form inspires.

In order for your submission to qualify, it must:

The Prizes

• Grand Prize: $500
• Second Place: $200
• 15 Runners-Up: $20

Special shout-out to Mike Singleton - Mikeydred, Lauren Elizabeth, Sonia Heidi Unruh, Dane BH, and J.M. Powell for suggesting this challenge idea in Share Your Ideas to Shape the Future of Vocal Challenges.

For your poem to be eligible, it should be submitted to the Poets Community, and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Poems published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until December 28, 2023, at 11:59 PM ET will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.

The Villanelle Challenge is exclusive to Vocal+ members. To learn more and upgrade to Vocal+, visit https://vocal.media/vocal-plus.

To be eligible to win the grand prize, second place, or runners-up prizes, you must be over the age of 13 and residing in a country where Stripe is available at the time of entry. A complete list of countries where Stripe is available can be found here—winners will need to have a Stripe account created and connected in order to receive the prizes. For this reason, entrants located outside of any of these countries will not be eligible to win.