It is not difficult to find a writing competition to enter, regardless of your medium or genre. It can be difficult to choose the correct work to submit, as well as which contests to enter at all. In my humble opinion, with a little research you can find not only the best choices for yourself, but increase your odds as well.

First let’s talk about choosing a competition. Most have a fee and the rewards for winning vary. As writers, we tend to have little money to play with, so you want to decide upfront what fits your budget.

I recommend that you weigh cost to enter against the reward for winning. For example, while it’s fabulous to win, if all you gain is $50 and/or publication on a website that receives little exposure; does this do you a service? The reason I mention this is simple, most legitimate competitions do not allow you to enter a work that has already been published or won in any other competition; so choose wisely.

As to improving the odds, may I suggest looking up previous winners – see what they have gone on to write, as well as who will be judging your work (when you are able). If it is clear that the contest you are considering seems to strongly favor comedies geared toward the family, you may want to hold off on your mystery or romance story. The same is true of those on the panel, do they write or speak well of a certain genre? If so, it is possible that they will be more interested in that which appeals to them.

I am not saying that a great writer can’t win against the odds; only that stacking the odds in your favor can’t really hurt.

I would also like to point out that entering competitions is a great way to get your work out there; similar to querying agents. As writers we all have many tales to tell, and it is just as important to know your audience when selecting a contest as it is when you are trying to reach your demographic or selecting an agent.

When you examine what you gain from entering versus the price you pay to enter, it should be simple enough to spot the contests that are right for you, those which ought to be avoided, as well as the contests that are outright fraudulent.

Have you entered many writing competitions? What advice would you give other writers? If you haven’t, what do you think is stopping you?

Thanks for reading and keep writing!
(image credit: nfschools.net)