Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America

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In Memoriam

Karl Kroeber
1926-2009

SFWA

WRITING CONTESTS

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Links checked/Page updated: 8/12/09


There are hundreds of literary contests, online and off. Most are real; some are even prestigious. But many are fake. And of the legitimate ones, few are important enough to provide a meaningful addition to your writing resume.

Writing Contest Fakes

Fake contests come in many different guises, but they all have a common goal–to take your money.

Some are outright scams. A few examples, drawn from Writer Beware’s files:

  • A fee-charging literary agency advertises a contest where the prize is agency representation. Representation is indeed offered (to everyone who enters), but the catch is that it comes with a hefty editing fee attached.

  • Another agency uses a false name to run its contest. Entrants are told that even though they didn’t win, their work is “exceptional”, and referred to the agency, which charges an up-front fee.

  • An editing service uses a contest as a way to acquire pool of potential customers. The contest is genuine in that there are winners who get prizes, but everyone else is told that their work needs help, and offered the chance to buy editing at a “discount” from the service.

  • A similar contest is run by a company that provides coverage for screenplay authors. In addition, guaranteed agency representation is promised for “exceptional” scripts. What’s not revealed: the agency is run under a different name by the same people who run the coverage service, and its track record is slim to none.

  • A charity runs a contest in conjunction with a book publisher, with the prize being a publication contract. Entry fees purportedly go to support the charity’s endeavors. What’s not disclosed: the charity and the publisher are run by the same person, and the charity has no verifiable charitable activities.

Other contests are run by questionable publishers. Often the prize is a book contract, and winners don’t find out until afterward that the contract terms are abusive, or that they must pay a fee for publication, or agree to pre-purchase large numbers of books, or pay the publisher for a publicity campaign (a good reason never to enter a contest that doesn’t allow you to refuse a contract if it’s offered). Or the publisher may provide the entrants’ contact information to a vanity publishing service or a fee-charging literary agency, which then sends out solicitations and pays the first publisher a kickback if any of the entrants bite.

Then there are the “contest mills”, which make money on the front end via entry fees. Some advertise enormous prizes–$15,000 for the winner, $10,000 for second place, and so on–with correspondingly high entry fees–$25 or $30. But if you read the fine print, you’ll discover that the contest owner reserves the right to award prizes on a pro-rated basis–i.e., the prize amounts are determined by the number of entrants, thus guaranteeing a profit no matter what. Other contest mills are run by writers’ magazines, which conduct a dozen or more contests a year, or by Internet-based groups that offer monthly contests, and advertise under several different names and URLs to draw more entrants.

Contest mills aren’t really scams, since there usually are winners, and they really do receive prizes. Even so, such contests can be considered fake, since they exist for no other reason than to make a profit for the organizations conducting them. Also, because of the lack of rigorous judging standards, they’re unlikely to carry any professional prestige.

By far the most common of the fake contests are those conducted by the vanity anthology companies. These companies publish collections of poems, short stories, or essays, which are sold not to the public, but to the contributors. Sometimes publication is contingent on purchase of the anthology and sometimes it isn’t, but either way, writers are pressured to buy multiple copies. Because inclusion in these anthologies is offered to everyone who enters the contests, an anthology-published poem or story isn’t considered a legitimate literary credit.

There’s a much more detailed look at how the vanity anthologizers work on the Vanity Anthologies page.

Is It Worth It?

In addition to the legitimacy of a literary contest, there’s another question you may want to consider: is it worth your while to enter?

Many writers see contests as a possible springboard to success–a way to add to their writing resumes, or get a toehold in the industry. This can be true if the contest is prestigious–the Malice Domestic contest run by St. Martin’s Press, for instance, where winning includes a commercial publishing contract, or the Golden Heart Award, a contest for unpublished book-length manuscripts conducted by Romance Writers of America, or the Writers of the Future contest, which is judged by well-known writers and editors. Such contests are conducted by organizations with standing in the industry, and have rigorous standards and professional judges. If you win or place in one of these, it’s definitely a credit worth mentioning in a query letter.

However, for novelists, poets, and short fiction writers, few of the hundreds of contests available have that kind of prestige. Winning contests run by an obscure magazine or a local writers’ group or an Internet contest mill won’t cut any ice with agents and editors–not just because they won’t have heard of the contest, but because they know that small contests are much less likely to have professional judging standards.

In the film world, things are a bit different, with contests more widely viewed by professionals as a way into the industry. But although there are more contest options for screenwriters, reputable contests are still greatly outnumbered by the pointless, useless, or deceptive ones.

Something else to think about: submitting to a contest takes your work off the market, at least temporarily, since most contests demand exclusive submission. It always amazes me that writers who grouse about agents who want three-month exclusives will happily consign their manuscripts to contest oblivion for much longer periods of time.

Contests can be fun and challenging. If you win, the prizes are a nice bonus. Just be careful with your research, and realistic about your expectations. And if you’re serious about a writing career, ask yourself whether your energy wouldn’t be better spent on submitting your work for publication.

Assessing Writing Contests

Following are some tips to help you evaluate the legitimacy of contests you may be thinking of entering.

  • Who’s conducting the contest? If it’s an organization, magazine, or publisher you don’t recognize, be sure to verify its legitimacy. If you can’t confirm this to your satisfaction, don’t enter. Ditto for a contest that doesn’t name its staff or sponsors–and for any contest where you see any of the warning signs listed below. Be especially wary of contests that are conducted by individuals, or are nothing but a webpage of contest rules, or are announced on Craigslist, or appear in the form of an ad in the back pages of writers’ magazines (these are usually vanity anthology companies).

    If there’s an organization associated with the contest organizer–for instance, if winning entries will be passed on to a literary agency, or considered by a publisher–verify its reputation too. Make sure there are no undisclosed connections or conflicts of interest.

  • Is the contest free? If so, you probably have nothing to lose by entering (though if you’re a poet, be aware that a “free” contest is one of the major warning signs of a poetry contest scam–see the section on Vanity Anthologies, below).

  • Is there an entry fee? Contrary to popular belief, an entry fee is not an indication of a questionable contest. Many legitimate contests charge a fee to cover processing expenses (which sometimes include an honorarium to readers) and to fund the prize.

    However, entry fees should be appropriate. For book manuscripts, stories, or poems, between $5 and $20 is average for smaller or amateur contests. Larger ones may charge more–some of the established independent publisher or self-published book awards charge in excess of $560–but generally speaking, anything over $25 should prompt you to do some checking. Screenwriting contests can quite a bit more expensive; a few prestigious ones have entry fees as high as $100. More than that should make you wary, though, especially if you aren’t familiar with the contest organizer.

  • By entering, do you get the “opportunity” to spend more money? If you’re encouraged to buy additional services when you enter–critiques, marketability analyses, tickets for an awards banquet–it may be a sign that the contest is a moneymaking venture, rather than a real competition. Some contests are no more than fronts for critique and/or editing services.

  • How frequently does the organization conduct contests? Running a contest every month, or bunches of contests every quarter, can also be a sign of a moneymaking scheme.

  • How many categories are there? Reputable contests usually have a specific focus, and limit the number of categories under which you can submit. For instance, a contest may be for screenplays only or for book manuscripts only. A contest for fiction may have separate categories for books, poetry, and short fiction, or be broken down by genre. The point is that a reputable contest shouldn’t feel like the kitchen sink.

    Be careful of contests that call for any and all talent, especially if everything is lumped together under a single prize (how can a novel manuscript compete with a recorded song or a comedy performance?). Watch out for contests that have dozens of separate categories. Some may be reputable–the Independent Publisher Book Awards, for instance, which has more than 60 categories–but it’s also possible that the contest sponsor may be trying to make a profit from entry fees.

  • Are the contest guidelines clearly stated? A legitimate contest will provide clear rules, including information about contest categories, deadlines, eligibility, format, fees, prizes and the circumstances in which they will or will not be awarded, judging, and any rights you may be surrendering. If you can’t find these–and especially if there’s no timeline for announcements and awards–don’t enter.

  • Who’ll be doing the judging? It’s in a contest’s interest to name its judges, since this speaks directly to the contest’s legitimacy. This is important information for you as well, since the prestige of a contest has a lot to do with the caliber of the judges, and a contest with a judging panel of successful writers and/or industry professionals is much more likely to be a good addition to your writing resume.

    Some contests prefer to protect judges’ privacy, so a contest that doesn’t name its judges isn’t necessarily illegitimate–as long as you’re confident of the reputability of the contest sponsor. If you aren’t, be wary. No-name judges may be underqualified, or the contest’s staff may be doing the judging–or, in the case of a contest that’s a moneymaking scheme, there may not be any judges at all.

  • Are there fringe benefits? Critiques or meetings with industry professionals are often a worthwhile feature of the more high-profile contests. However, you should never be asked to pay extra for this perk. Also, be sure that the professionals really are professionals. A legitimate contest should clearly state their names and credentials.

  • What’s the prize? There are many possibilities–money, goods, services, even publication. The prizes should be clearly described (watch out for contests that allow the contest sponsors to substitute prizes–you may not get what you expect), and they should be appropriate to the contest sponsor. Unless you’re certain of the sponsor’s legitimacy, contests with large prize amounts–$5,000 and up–should be treated with suspicion, since they may be moneymaking schemes (see Contest Fakes, above).

    Contests that offer representation, publication, or production as prizes can be very appealing, and winning can be a genuine springboard for a writer’s career. Be careful, though, because these contests aren’t always what they seem. For instance, the National Writing Competition from UndiscoveredAuthors.com offers publication as one of the prizes–but the contest sponsor is vanity publisher BookforceUK. Even if winners don’t have to pay for publication, this prize is no bargain.

    Always research the agency, publisher, magazine, or production company to make sure it’s reputable and successful, and don’t enter a contest whose rules make it impossible for you to refuse the prize if you win. If publication is involved, be sure you know exactly where and how you’ll be published–magazine contest prizewinners are sometimes published in a separate booklet available only by special order. If you’re looking for exposure, that sort of publication isn’t the way to get it.

    There should never be an extra cost associated with a publication prize. If there is, it’s almost certain the contest is a fake.

  • Have you read the fine print? Always read the contest rules and guidelines carefully before you submit, so you can be sure exactly what you’re getting into. Odd and unpleasant things are sometimes buried deep in the fine print.

    For instance, you may have to agree to give up various rights even if you don’t win, such as first publication or the right to sell your entry elsewhere. Or winning may impose obligations–for instance, you may be required to use the contest sponsor as your publisher or agent. Giving up copyright may be a condition of the contest, which means the organization holding the contest can use your entry for any purpose it wishes (even without your name). The sponsor may reserve the right to substitute prizes, or to reduce or eliminate prizes if certain conditions aren’t met. Watch out for language suggesting that the contest sponsor can use your entry for purposes other than publicity for the contest. And if you enter a contest online, be aware that you may be giving permission for your entry to be published at the company’s website, whether you win or not (a frequent complaint about the defunct vanity anthologizer Poetry.com).

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