Hallmark Romantic Verse Competition returns for Valentine's 2011

BRADFORD, England, Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- After the huge success of last year's Twittermantic competition, which saw more than 600 entries, Hallmark Cards is again giving the UK's wannabe Shakespeares the chance to show off their poetic side in a national creative writing contest, launching today. But in the true spirit of a modern day Romeo or Juliet -- the romantic verse must be composed in just 140 characters on the popular social network site, Twitter!

The competition, which back by popular demand, is being launched by Hallmark's online personalised card service, Hallmark.co.uk, as part of its build up to Valentine's Day, with a luxury weekend break away on offer for the winning Twittermantic!

The best entries collected before Valentine's (February 14th) will be judged by an online public vote and by a panel of experts, including poet and published author, Christine Miller.

Jon Taylor, from Hallmark Cards online, said: "Entering is simple; all people need to do to become a Twittermantic is follow 'Hallmark Cards' on Twitter and then write their romantic verse in 140 characters or less, making sure they include @HallmarkUK in their tweet entry. You can find full entry details at Hallmark.co.uk.

"We had a great response last year with some truly brilliant entries and people really embraced writing verses on Twitter. So we are again asking the great British public to show us how romantic they can really be! Text speak or clever abbreviations to honour the word limit is perfectly fine, what's important is that it's original and most importantly - romantic! We'll also be publishing regular hints and tips on our blog and Twitter page as well as inspiration from the pros. Remember - funny, soppy or purely romantic, we want them all, so get writing!"

The judging panel consists of seasoned limerick writer and author William Clark, professional poet and published author Christine Miller, as well as Hallmark's own editorial team.

The overall winning verse will be featured on a 2012 Hallmark Valentine's Day card which will be available for the public to purchase through Hallmark.co.uk. The lucky winner will also scoop a luxury romantic cottage break for two courtesy of cottages4You www.cottages4you.co.uk.

Christine Miller, author of The Secret Garden of the Soul, who forms part of the expert judging panel, said: "Poetry doesn't just have to be for a select few, it can be a fun and creative form of expression for all!

"The principle behind Twitter and its 140 character 'tweet' poses a great challenge for people to be the most romantic in the fewest words – nevertheless, often the most moving messages are striking in their brevity."

The Twitter verse competition aims to bring creative writing to the masses with the contest open to everyone in the UK – from complete novices to quality amateur writers. The only criteria is that the verse must be the individual's own work.  

William Clark, a panel judge and author of "700 Limericks and How to Write Them", commented: "This competition puts a clever new twist on the traditional custom of writing romantic verses on Valentine's Day. Last year the competition was great fun with lots of spirited entries. I think it really showed that poetry is still a part of ordinary people's lives. Anyone can write a limerick, though sticking to the traditional structure gives you the best results. But anything goes, if people like it, you can win."

Last year's winning entry was by Mazz Mullarky who wrote: "My heart is as big as a lake, my love as deep as the ocean, 13 years now, I will always give you my devotion".

The Twittermantic competition is a bit of fun to highlight just how personal you can get with personalised Valentine's Cards from Hallmark.co.uk. With verse options, photo upload Valentine's cards and even the option to write your own, this year you can make your Valentine's greeting truly special. And with the launch of the new Valentine's designer range, Hallmark.co.uk has never had so much choice!

Hallmark.co.uk offers more than 1,000 card designs covering all occasions, including new and exclusive OK! Magazine Cards where you and your friends or family can follow in the footsteps of Posh and Becks and be cover stars, as well as Lego and Disney designs. Popular Hallmark brands, including Forever Friends and Purple Ronnie, are also available on the site.

Editor's notes:

Hallmark

Established in the UK in 1958, Hallmark Cards is the UK's leading greeting card publisher. As well as greeting cards, Hallmark also produces related products such as wrapping paper, gift bags, social stationery, and gift products.

• Hallmark Cards Facebook group can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/HallmarkUK/211973881681
• Hallmark Cards Twitter profile can be found here: www.twitter.com/hallmarkcards
• Twitter Verse Competition -Terms and Conditions – available at www.Hallmark.co.uk

About William Clark

William Clark is the author of "700 Limericks and How to Write Them" and has been a published poet for many years.  His website http://www.clarkscript.com/limerick-checker.html contains a free limerick checker to help people to get their verses to polished perfection.

William also writes serious verse in traditional styles and includes Robert William Service, Robert Burns, John Keats, William Wordsworth and many other Romantic Era poets in his favourites list. Several e-books featuring his poetry will be available later this year.

He claims to be the discoverer of the true origin of the term "limerick", (not yet published) and it is not what you might think!

About Christine Miller, MA FRSA

Christine is a business and personal growth strategist who shows people how to create richer, more fulfilling and compassionate lives so that they spend more time doing what they love and loving what they do.

The visionary Founder Editor of ReSource, a leading intelligence provider in business and personal growth, Christine enjoys a privileged role sharing thoughts and ideas with world leaders in the fields of current affairs, business, social and personal education. An Author, Speaker and published Poet, Christine is multifaceted and dedicated to the development of the whole person, applying her wisdom and original thinking to help foster beneficial change on a global scale.

You can find Christine's acclaimed poetry book here: Secret Garden of the Soul. For more information on Christine Miller, visit www.christinemiller.co

SOURCE Hallmark Cards PLC