Hallmark Romantic Verse Competition Returns for Valentine's 2011

UK Wide Search for the Best Twittermantic

BRADFORD, England, January 19, 2011 - 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 (
www.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 4th) 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 (www.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 (www.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 (
www.hallmark.co.uk/personalised-cards/valentines-cards/)from
Hallmark.co.uk (www.hallmark.co.uk/). With verse options, photo upload
Valentine's cards (
www.hallmark.co.uk/personalised-cards/valentines-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
(www.hallmark.co.uk/personalised-cards/designer-boutique/),
Hallmark.co.uk (www.hallmark.co.uk/) has never had so much choice!

Hallmark.co.uk (www.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:
      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" has
been a published poet for many years. His website
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 (
www.yourultimateresource.com/), 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 (bit.ly/gIJ1Og). For more information on Christine Miller, visit
www.christinemiller.co

Hallmark Cards PLC, Bingley Road, Heaton, Bradford, BD9 6SD, +44(0)113-243-1117; To request an interview with Christine Miller or William Clark, or for creative writing tips and hints on how to write your perfect romantic verse, please contact: Chris, Matthew or Louise at Lucre Social; T: +44(0)113-243-1117; E: hallmarksocial at lucre.co.uk