Entering Writing Contests

What does it cost to enter? Entry fees range from Free to $50.00 and more. If you are entering a lot of contests, the fees can quickly add up. This is why you want to be cautious and enter contests only if they are legitimate.
The purpose of entering a contest is presumably to win something -- goodies or cash, getting published, receiving a dose of prestige and the resulting publicity. If it is in doubt that you will get any of these, don't waste your money!
What are the contest rules ... can you live with them? Carefully check any information about copyright. Some contests rules state that by entering the contest you agree to give the contest owner your copyright! This means THEY will own your article, novel or script. They can do anything with it, including publishing it themselves or selling it to other companies and publishers. It also means that YOU cannot sell or publish or use your OWN material ever again. Watch out. This is especially prevalent in photo and art contests.
There are a huge number of contests that are are vanity publishing schemes ... the contest promoters make money running the contests simply based on the number of entries, or on the sale of overpriced books. This kind of scam is especially prevalent with poetry contests.

The Science Fiction Writers Association has a great article on writing contest "fakes" and scams along with a list of what to watch for. If you plan on entering any contests, and especially poetry contests, it would be a good idea to check this out. The phrase "buyer beware" absolutely applies to writing and poetry contests. Click here to check out their CONTESTS AND VANITY ANTHOLOGIES section.

We are rapidly building the contest database and though we try to list only legitimate contests, that often becomes a difficult judgement call. Occasionally you may find a contest that is just on the verge of questionable ... we include it because many beginning writers and photographers just want to see their work in print ... and it IS one way to start building your portfolio.

Writing to Win

Have you ever heard of the Pulitzer Prize? It’s the grand daddy of all writing contests. Started by 19th century journalist Joseph Pulitzer, the first prize was awarded in 1917 and cash prizes continue to be awarded annually to this very day.

While winning a Pulitzer is certainly a noble achievement, there are literally thousands of smaller (and easier to win) writing contests that will appeal to authors and poets of any genre.

Popular writing contest categories include fiction and non-fiction on almost any subject, fictional short stories, novels and novellas of any genre; non-fiction articles, essays, and journalistic pieces; poetry which includes book-length manuscripts as well as chapbooks; scripts and screenplays, and an almost unlimited number of specific categories such as contests for grade school writers, college-level essays, and topic-specific such as pet articles and patriotic themes. The list truly goes on and on.

Many writing contests have very impressive prizes. The Nichols fellowship, for example, is no chump change contest. Especially designed for screenplay writers, this contest is so prestigious that even getting into the final cut will earn you offers from Hollywood agents. Up to 5 winners will each take away $30,000 fellowships! Now that’s a contest.

Why it’s nice to dream, these le' Crème' de le creme contests might be a bit much to bite off for your first writing contest but they certainly are a target to aim for as your experience and skills grow.

For the rest of us there are thousands of novels, short story, scriptwriting, screenplay, plays, fiction, non-fiction and poetry writing contests to keep winners happy for years to come.

Many writing contests charge entry fees. The absence or presence of an entry fee has no bearing on the legitimacy of a contest. Most of the time the entry fees are used to cover contest expenses including the actual prize money.

Be aware that rip-off contests and scam operators are active in the writing contest market just like they are in any other area where money can be made. It really is a case of "buyer beware." Many writing contests are run by individuals and companies whose only aim is to run contests and make money. There is very little merit in entering these contests.

When you are considering entering a fee-based contest make sure that the minimum cash prize is at least slightly more than the entry fee. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to pay $25 to win $10 unless the contest is well advertised and you care more about the glory than you do the moolah.

Speaking of glory, some contests do not award any cash at all but you do get the bragging rights to having your entry published in a real book or magazine. Wining any legitimate writing contest, whether the prize is cash, merchandise, or just a pat on the back, gives you the right to use the phrase “award winning writer” on your portfolio and resume. That can be worth the price of entry all by itself.

The good news about writing contests is that "theoretically" your chances of winning are directly dependant upon your skills. It doesn’t matter who you are, or how many pieces or books you have to your name. If your entry is selected as a winner, then you’re a winner. You could go up against Spielberg and come out a winner if your story was better. On the bad news side is the fact that judges may or may not use specific criteria for judging the contest ... if you write about cats and the judges are all dog lovers you may be out of the running simply because of your subject choice, not because of your writing abilities.

There are many reasons that writer’s contest are held. One of them is to simply make money. If the organizers collect more in entry fees than they spend in prizes and overhead, then they’ve made a profit. There’s nothing wrong in running a contest as a profit center just as long as the contest is fair and impartial.

Another reason the writer’s contests are held is that it’s a relatively inexpensive way for publishers to get fresh, new content into their magazines. Readers enjoy reading new writers and writers love winning contests and seeing their work published. Every wins in one way or another.

Some companies run contests to draw attention to their product or service. They create a lot of advertising hoopla which ends up selling more magazines, or razor blades, or whatever product or service they’re pushing.

No matter what the reason for the contests, everybody loves a winner and everyone loves winning. You could make thousands of dollars a year if you enter and win a number of contests, or you could end up being happy just having a few published stories, poems, or articles to add to your portfolio.

Writing contests are fun, challenging, and could end up putting some veggies on the table if you have enough talent to be a winner!

The only thing that’s stopping you from finding out if you’re destined for the next big prize is you. So drag yourself away from this article and check out the list to see if there is a writing contest with your name on it!

Entering Writing Contests

It's important to realize what your goals are when entering a contest ... the prizes are only a small part of it.

Writing to Win