Self Defense for Writers — Iffy Writing Contests

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Writing contests can be great opportunities. They can also be, well, bad news. Knowing whether to enter a contest can be a real challenge. Here are some things to consider:

Entry Fees

Entry fees in and of themselves don’t make a contest a scam. Many prestigious contests do charge fees. However, many smaller contests charge fees — as a way of making money. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Is the fee proportionate to the prize? Some contests with large prizes charge fees to cover the prize pool. A $20 entry fee might seem a lot, but if there’s a $3,000 prize it might be worth it. If the entry fee is $10 and the prize is publication in their magazine at 1 cent a word for a 2–3k story (I’m not making this up) then it’s pretty obvious that the contest is actually a way to milk reading fees out of writers. There are also scammers who’s business model is to charge $50 or $100 in entry fees for novel competitions, where the prize is a badge for your website and cheap “Award winner” stickers to go on your books…
2. Do you get any perks for entering? For example, if the entry fee includes a year’s digital subscription to the magazine, it might be worth it. You might also find it worth it if you will get a detailed critique/workshop of the story from somebody who knows what they’re…