Today’s article is written by Suzannah Windsor Freeman, founding editor.
I’m working on a short story right now, and I have just over two weeks left to finish.
Why? Because I’m writing it specifically for a contest, and the deadline is quickly approaching.
I’ll admit, I’m not the type of writer who enters a lot of contests, but I’ve taken part in a handful of them. I’m interested in those that (a) suit my particular writing style, (b) don’t cost too much to enter, (c) offer a substantial prize, and (d) would look good in my portfolio if I were to win.
There are thousands of writing contests each year, but are they really worth your time, money, and words?
It really depends on a number of factors. Each contest should be evaluated based on its own benefits and drawbacks.
Pros of Writing Contests
- Money. Most writing contests have cash prizes (for winners and runners-up), which can range anywhere from less than a hundred bucks to many thousands. Prize money is usually determined by how many entries are expected, and the prestige attached to the particular contest.
- Prestige. Having your name attached to well-known literary prize looks great in query letter or bio, and if the prize is particularly prestigious, it may help with being noticed by literary agents.
- Publication. Publication in a magazine, anthology, or on a website is generally a fringe benefit of winning or being a finalist in a contest, but in some cases it may be the primary benefit.
- Longlist/shortlist credit. Some contests, such as Glimmer Train’s monthly contests, publish longlists and/or shortlists on their sites. If the contest is well-known, even being longlisted or shortlisted is something you can mention in your portfolio or cover letter.
- Time away from your work. If you’re not allowed to simultaneous submit to other contests or magazines, you’ll be forced to put the manuscript away for a few months. If you don’t end up winning, you may come back to the piece with fresh eyes, and note areas for improvement before sending it out again.
- Deadlines can work in your favour. Working to contest deadlines can help you finish a story more quickly than you normally would, which means you can move on to the next project.
- Not much to lose. You might lose your contest fee, but once you’ve finished and polished a piece, it can always be submitted elsewhere if you don’t win.
Cons of Writing Contests
- Entry fees. While some writing contests are free, many require a small fee—usually between $5 and $50. The money goes toward prizes and covering administrative costs. A fee on the lower end of the scale is appropriate for a smaller, regional contest, whereas a fee on the higher end would likely be required for a more prestigious, national or international contest.
- Exclusive submissions. Many contests require exclusive submissions (you’re not allowed to submit your piece anywhere else) during the course of the contest. Having your manuscript tied up in one place for several months can be less than ideal of you don’t end up winning.
- Lack of prestige. Contests which are not well-known may offer small cash prizes, but little consequence. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enter or that winning doesn’t mean anything, but it’s unlikely to matter much in terms of furthering your career.
- False sense of rejection. Not winning could cause you to assume there’s something wrong with your piece, which may be untrue. Because contests rarely offer feedback, you may have come close to winning or being long/shortlisted and never know. A few years back, I submitted a short story to a national contest, and when it didn’t win I shelved the story for two years. It wasn’t until after I’d published a couple of other stories that I started submitting it again. It was soon accepted and published in a literary magazine.
Before You Enter…
So, you’re ready to give this contest thing a try? Keep these practical tips in mind:
- Keep track of upcoming contests. When we miss a contest deadline, we tend to say, “Maybe next year.” But don’t rely on your memory—write it down! Take note of upcoming contests that suit you, along with important details such as deadlines, word count requirements, restrictions, etc. Check back with your list monthly, so you’re always aware of what’s ahead and never miss out.
- Familiarize yourself with the contest’s aesthetic. Be absolutely sure to read previous winning entries (and runners-up) if they’re published on the contest’s website. Take note of the general aesthetic. Do they like character-driven literary sketches? Longer stories with well-defined plots? Experimental pieces? Humour? Compare these pieces to your own writing style to make sure you have a good match. Read FAQ and interviews with contest judges. If the judges’ names are published, find out what type of books or stories they write.
- Be aware of eligibility restrictions. Some contests require you to be a resident of a particular country or region. Youth-oriented contests may require you to be under a certain age. Contests for new writers may only accept pieces from those who are previously unpublished. Be sure to double-check your eligibility before you go any further. I once got very excited about a writing contest only to discover you had to be a U.S. resident to enter. Luckily I found out before I wasted my money.
- Read the rules—twice. Be particularly aware of word restrictions, manuscript formatting preferences, and whether or not your contact information should appear on the manuscript. Contests that are ‘judged blind’ often ask that you remove your name and contact details from the piece so as not to bias judges’ opinions. I submitted an entry to such a contest earlier this year, only to discover afterward that I’d removed my contact details from the upper corner of the piece, but left my full name right below the title. It’s entirely possible that my piece was disqualified for this, and my entry fee wasted.
- Start small…or don’t. If you’ve never been published before, you may want to start with smaller contests. Winning one could give you a much-needed boost in confidence, and perhaps garner you your first publication credit. On the other hand, if you’ve been published a few times and are more confident in your writing abilities, you may want to shoot higher. Consider the personal benefits to you, and choose from there.
- Consider multiple entries to targeted contests. Are there just two or three contests you’d really like to enter this year? Do they allow multiple pieces by the same author (you’ll have to pay separate entry fees for each)? If so, you may want to enter more than one piece to each of these targeted contests to increase your odds.
Right now, the contest I’m targeting is the CBC Short Story Prize. The entry fee is a modest $25, and the word count is between 1200 and 1500 words. Given the short count, I don’t doubt many writers are entering multiple pieces at once.
The winner receives $6000, publication in enRoute magazine, a 2-week writer’s residency, and an interview on CBC radio. Four runners-up receive $1000 and publication on CBC’s website. Last year, there was also a longlist of 35 entries.
This is a well-known contest with some excellent prizes and fringe benefits—one that I believe is more than worth my time and money.
Some writers love contests, some find them to be a waste of time. Submitting my work to literary magazines and anthologies usually comes before contests, but some opportunities are too good to pass up.
It’s wise to be aware of the pros and cons of writing contests, so when the right opportunity presents itself, you’re ready to take advantage.
Do you enter writing contests? What’s your best advice for choosing wisely/ What are your top tips for making your piece stand out from the crowd?
Good morning Suzannah, Thank you for this insightful article. I thought I knew something about contests but I learned a whole lot more from your presentation.
I’ve been toying around with entering my first contest (and also submitting my first article and story for publication) but your article gave me pause about the contests. I didn’t realize there were so many contests going on. My question is: where to you find out about these contests? Is there a website that lists contests or do you just have to dig around to uncover the treasure? The only one I know about right now is from Writer’s Digest, which I would consider a big one (a very little fish in a very big pond!), but I don’t know about any others.
Have a blessed day and thank you for work on this site! I’ve been most encouraged!
Greg
Hi Greg,
I’m so glad this article was helpful to you! Finding out about contests isn’t difficult, but it can take a bit of searching. There are many different websites that compile lists of contests, but I I don’t think it’s possible for them to be comprehensive. Sites like the following one are very good, and if you have a few on your watchlist, you should be covered in terms of keeping abreast of upcoming opportunities: http://www.be-a-better-writer.com/creative-writing-contests.html
Good luck!
So glad you listed the pros and cons of contests, Susannah. I have entered contests before. They’re a great motivator to finish a story, and – you’re right – a forced opportunity to step away from a story for a while. I haven’t ever won a contest, but I have been a finalist. That alone was the boost of confidence I needed at the time.
Now, the only reason I choose the contests I enter more wisely is because of the entry fees. However, there are contests that don’t require fees. Poets & Writers has a database where you can search specifically for contests with no fee (http://www.pw.org/grants). I’m sure there are other similar sites. Otherwise, I read about writing contests on Twitter and Facebook (ahh, social media).
I’ve never won a contest, either, Christi! But the benefits of entering the few that I have definitely outweigh the cons. Like you, I do often see tweets about writing contests. I have seen some pretty good writing contests with no entry fees, but they’re rare.
Great overview. I think contests are great for beginning writers who want to build up credits and get some encouragement during the long, slow slog toward novel publication. You’ve got some great points all entrants should to consider. Definitely the prestige of the contest matters and DO read the winners of previous years. I entered one contest and only later read some of the winners and realized I thought they were awful. I didn’t win of course, but my money was wasted. But winning–even first prize–would not have been something I’d want to mention in a query letter.
That’s a great point, Anne. A contest isn’t worth your time if winning it will embarrass you! But there are still small, regional-type contests that can give writers greater confidence in their work, even if winning doesn’t bring much prestige, exposure or money. For example, a contest hosted by your local library or city newspaper.
Excellent overview of contests. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately because so many of the contests I’m seeing don’t offer a cash prize and sometimes cost quite a bit. To date I’ve only entered a few contests and I do want to enter more, but I’m being selective about where I enter.
It’s rare to see a contest that offers feedback, but it’s invaluable information if you can get it. The feedback I received from the Stiletto contest was very helpful and got me thinking about ways to improve the story.
Roxanne, I believe Women on Writing host quarterly flash fiction contests in which you can pay a bit extra for a critique of your work. For some newer writers, this can be a helpful service. I’m wondering what the benefits are of winning a contest in which there are entry fees but no cash prize. Is it publication in a magazine or anthology? Thanks!
Hi,
Not only have I entered contests — but 2 of them led to publication. My poetry collection, Mythmaking, was a winner in the Word Journal Press 2004 chapbook contest and was published by Word Journal. My mystery novel, MOTHER, MURDER AND ME, was a winner in Swyers’ Publishing First New Author (fiction) Contest 2011 and was published by Swyers in April 2012.
So — yes, I believe in the possibilities of contests — you never know what good things can happen. But if you don’t enter, you can’t win. What was that saying– you’ve got to be in it to win it? (Or was that the lottery.)
Thanks for sharing your positive experiences with contests, Sandy!
My personal compass for entering or not entering is now this: do I really, truly, deeply believe I could actually win the contest? Is the piece I’m working on strong enough to surpass most other writers’ entries? There’s a lot of intuition involved in assessing your own work in this way. I’ve had times where I’ve known my piece was good, but probably not good enough to win. Why would I waste my fee?
Today, I do believe the story I’m working on is strong enough to make it to the top. I believe I have just as good a chance as anyone at the winning spot. Of course, that may not happen, but I’m confident enough in my story to spend $25 for the chance to enter!
I’ve been researching contests recently in the effort to get something out there. I really appreciate your listing of the pros and the cons because I wondered if entering a contest was a waste of my time. I’ve been eyeing the Women on Writing contest which I was made aware of through a list of contests that Perl Luke provides on her site: http://www.be-a-better-writer.com/creative-writing-contests.html . Since you can pay an additional fee for feedback, it makes it worth giving a try.
Thank you for writing this article. I hadn’t come across an article about entering contests yet. I debate about contests, partly because I have so little time to devote to my works in progress. But, I also wonder about how to verify if a contest is a good writing credit. I Google and I post what I see on writers’ message boards. So, for me, I base the credibility on message board feedback and Google. Any other suggestions to try to verify what winning a particular contest is worth for your writing credits?
Another helpful post, I was thinking of writing something for a competition and you just gave me some more motivation.
This is a great topic to offer your readers Suzannah. Thank you.
Contests are a good way to promote yourself…when you win. I appreciate you sharing your insight and experience with not winning. I have often considered not winning a rejection and you are right it’s not the same. You don’t get feedback…you could be a runner up.
I use contests to help me practice “cutting the fat”. The restrictive word counts force me keep the plot moving and make the words count. They are also a good exercise in working with deadlines and really knowing your genre.
Good luck with your current submission.
Excellent tips on how to know if it’s right for you. I found that the Writer Beware website actually has really good tips on contests, and how to make sure they’re not in to take your money or scam you. Because some of them are there just for that purpose.
These are excellent tips. Perhaps one of the best reasons for entering contests, systematically, is that – even if you don’t win – you are painlessly enhancing your craft skills. I must declare an interest: I judge the Writers’ Village short fiction contest. Contestants typically tell me that they are motivated to enter, not by the prize money, but by the assurance of feedback on their stories. Not many contests provide that but those who do are well worth considering.
And yes, there are a few scam contests out there. If a contest doesn’t announce its winners and showcase their stories on its site, how can you tell if any prizes were ever awarded? 🙂
I didn’t see it mentioned – did I miss it? – but one possible con of contest writing is the draconian rights grab you may not even realize applies to you.
READ CAREFULLY: if phrases such as “all rights” is triggered by SUBMISSION, not just by winning the contest – make sure you aren’t giving away rights in perpetuity to publication by merely entering the contest.
Ditto, if the prize includes publication, check carefully to see what rights might be required to get that publication. The rights to print your story or article once, or for a given period of time (say, one year) may be reasonable. Ownership, or the right to print your story whenever they want, or inclusion in an anthology in which your entry is included without further payment to you – maybe not so much.
Even Amazon had me shaking my head at the terms in one of its contests, so the source of the prizes – and good intentions on the part of the contest organizers – doesn’t supersede the actual words on the contract you sign – or sign implicitly by sending in your entry and fee*. Read, read, read – and never neglect to understand all the fine print before and after you send in your entry, and especially when it comes to claiming a prize.
Many a contest have I skipped after carefully reading what they so clearly (in tiny print) put out for your perusal.
Do not assume – the letter of the law always governs.
—
*Note: the best contests, and some of the most prestigious, are free (ex.: the Yale Drama Award for new playwrights).
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