EverBe Pathway Poetry Contest

Original Dec 21, 2022 Story:
EverBe is Orlando’s newest master-planned neighborhood being designed and developed by Pulte Homes. The EverBe Pathway Poetry Contest is designed, in part, to celebrate and tell the lasting story of this community that is part place, part state of being. Its vision centers on convenience, connections, comfort, and community. EverBe’s expansive green spaces, linear parks, playgrounds, and community centers will be connected by an extensive pathway system that will weave in and out of residential enclaves, cypress domes, water features, and the sprawling central waterway at the heart of EverBe.

EverBe is being designed to inspire, and you can help bring this vision to life!

We want your help to create original poems that will surprise and delight residents and friends for years to come. Poems should be short, inspiring, and uplifting—a welcome message for everyone. Miles and miles of wide, open pathways will connect neighbors and friends to EverBe’s alluring outdoor experiences. As people walk, jog, bike, and stroll—we aim to sprinkle joy in the form of poems across the pathway system.

You do not need to be a professional writer to submit a poem. Poems can include blank verse, free verse, rhymes, even Haiku—any style that inspires your vision. Keep in mind that these poems will appear within EverBe’s residential neighborhood. Your work has the potential to ignite curiosity, spark reflection, and even change someone’s mood.

Winning poems that are installed on the EverBe pathway system will include the author’s name, forever celebrating their creative contribution to the community.

How does this work?

1. Submissions for the EverBe Pathway Poetry Contest will be accepted by digital upload only from December 2022 through Sunday, March 19, 2023, at 11:59 p.m.
2. All entries will be reviewed and scored by a judging panel based upon the scoring criteria included below. Contest judges will include members of the EverBe project team.
3. The top 5% of all or 20 total poems (whichever is greater) with the highest scores will be shared online within a digital voting platform for public review and voting in April 2023.
4. At the end of the public voting period, winning poems will be determined by the entries that have received the most public votes. We will notify winners by email and/or phone call. Winning prizes will be sent by mail so we must have either a physical address or PO Box on file for each participant.
5. Eight (8) poems will be selected as winners to be a part of EverBe’s phase one pathway poem collection. The winning poets will be featured on EverBe’s social media, website, and related contest communications.
6. The pathway poems will be installed on portions of the sidewalks throughout phase 1 at the end of 2023 (subject to change based upon the community’s construction timeline).

Scoring criteria

Each criteria will be evaluated on a star-rating system with 5 stars being the highest score and 1 star being the lowest. This criteria will comprise the final scoring calculation:

• 40%: The poem helps establish a unique sense of place at EverBe. Explore the website to learn more about EverBe: https://EverBeFL.com
• 40%: The poem is inspiring, positive, vivid and interesting.
• 20% The poem is error-free and meets technical requirements for ultimate installation onto a sidewalk.

Technical requirements

• EverBe Pathway Poetry Contest entries must be at least three lines, but cannot exceed seven lines.
• Poems could be a minimum of 50 characters and no more than 180 characters, not including punctuation or spaces.
• The poem title will not appear on the final sidewalk and does not count as a line.
• Any submission that fails to meet these requirements will be automatically disqualified.

EverBe Pathway Poetry Contest Rules

• All entries must adhere to the technical specifications.
• All entries must include all required information as set forth in the online entry form.
• This contest is open to anyone in the United States who is at least 13 years of age; however, please note that the prize pack for winning poems will include goods, services, and/or experiences from local Orlando businesses.
• Individuals or groups may submit up to 10 poems (in separate entries) for consideration.
• If a group is submitting, the names of all contributing authors must be included in the submission form.
• Do not include your name or any other information at the end of your poem.
• Submitted poems must be original, not plagiarized or copied in any way from any other source. Contestants and entries involving plagiarized work will be disqualified. Plagiarism is a serious offense with serious consequences.
• Any poems that include explicit words, offensive or potentially inflammatory content will be disqualified at the sole discretion of the judging panel.
• The judging panel reserves the right to limit any one author’s finalist submissions to 5.
• Votes are limited to one per IP address.

Licensing

• You will retain ownership of your submitted poem.
• You give EverBe/Pulte Homes permission to use the poem you have submitted as part of EverBe’s community design, branding, and marketing.

Begin Your Submission
See a complete list of the official rules »