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- There are hundreds of writing contests. Most are real; some are prestigious. But some are fake. While fake contests don’t make up a huge proportion of the total, there are enough of them to warrant caution. And even if a contest is legitimate, winning may not do anything to build your writing resume.
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- Are The Sponsors on The Up-And-Up?
- Have You Read The Rules Carefully?
- Is The Entry Fee Reasonable?
- Who's Doing The Judging?
- Have You Protected Your Rights?
- Do You Suspect A Scam?
- Does Your Work Shout, "Pick Me! Pick me!"?
- What Do You Really Win: Prizes, Publication, Publicity?
Look for contests sponsored by nonprofit literary groups, established publications, reputable publishing houses, colleges, and universities. Some small presses run contests simply to find books to publish. While this can be legitimate, be wary of any that have said in past years that they didn't find anything publishable—yet they kept the entry mon...
Make sure the contest rules state the following: deadlines, eligibility, format, fees, prizes, circumstances in which prizes will or won't be awarded, judging, and what rights, if any, you're granting. Some competitions are for already published works, while others specify only unpublished writings. Is the deadline when entries must be postmarked o...
Most contests charge fees, usually ranging from $5 to $25. For one thing, it's time-consuming to administer a contest, but sponsors may also want to make a profit. No harm in that, but you must consider what you're potentially getting in exchange for what you're giving. It's not unheard of to see something like an entry fee of $25 for a prize of $3...
Judges should be published writers, past contest winners, editors at publishing houses, or representatives from known literary organizations. Sometimes sponsors won't release the judges' names, however, for privacy concerns. At a minimum, try to find out if the judges are professors at prestigious universities, authors published with recognized hou...
Don't ever agree to give up the copyright to your work to enter a contest. For some competitions, if you win, you may have to license some of the rights—one-time publication rights, for example. But don't sign all your rights away. I can't emphasize enough to read the fine print of the contest rules. Check if they're doing a sneaky rights-grab. For...
In general, be wary of submitting to contests where your work is published only online (unless it's a well-known website) or published only in an anthology that winners have to pay to receive. You may initially be excited to receive a letter saying your work has been selected to be included in a book, only to find you must buy a copy—preferably mul...
It's easy for judges to discard the bad and the mediocre. Then they have their stack of "good." Once you're in the good pile, how do you make it to the top? Just as you should read back issues of magazines you hope to write for, try to read previous winners' work. Most contests list previous winners online. This way, you'll know what the contest or...
Money is always welcome. But there are also prizes of publication (which, again, can be a mixed blessing, depending on whether you're allowed to negotiate the contract), or having the opportunity to meet with agents or editors who can help your career. Prizes might also be products, like books or magazine subscriptions, or services such as publicit...
- Testimonials. A real contest doesn’t have to showcase a bunch of unknown writers telling you how happy they are they entered a contest. If all those people had really won $10,000 and a major publishing contract you would have seen a big splash about it in the mainstream press.
- High Fees. There are a whole lot of for-profit contests out there. Be wary of any contest that charges high fees (over $30). If a contest is brand new, be especially careful.
- Iffy Sponsors. A few years ago, I got an email about a contest that sounded like a good addition to the “Opportunity Alerts.” No entry fee…prizes…and they said the winning piece would be submitted to big name literary agencies.
- Rights Grabs. Always read the fine print. Some of these have got by me into the Opportunity Alerts, so do pay attention, even if you see the contest here.
Dec 17, 2023 · Some are outright scams or ripoffs. A few examples, drawn from Writer Beware’s files: A prestigious organization contacts you to let you know you’ve been nominated for an award. All you need to do is become member of the organization…for $99. But wait!
More Scam-Fighting Resources. Warning signs of a bad literary contest. Sites that warn against scams. We suggest you avoid the following contests and organizations. Many appear to be disguised vanity publishers, whose goal is to sell you expensive personalized products and attract you to conferences.
Apr 26, 2019 · To maximize entries, profiteering awards and contests often solicit entries. An out-of-the-blue email, or an ad on Facebook, urging you to enter a contest or awards program should always be treated with caution. – High entry fees. Profiteers charge $60, $75, $100, or even more.
Feb 20, 2022 · Most writing contests are legit. But some contests you can be pretty sure are scams from the get-go. Look out for excessive fees, rights grabs, and puny prizes.
