Entering Writing Contests
When you think about writing contests, you probably imagine the opportunity to win a plaque or even a bit of cash. This line of thinking is a good start, but you also need to take it to the next level and understand how writing contests can be a terrific platform for self-promotion.
Some writing contests are legitimate, while others are not. Tip-offs to rip-offs include having to pay exorbitant entry fees in exchange for small prizes or no prizes, or being offered a chance to win an editorial evaluation instead of an actual prize. Be sure to research the group running any contest before submitting your entry fee and materials.
The Judges
For starters, all writing contests have judges — and those judges are often editors who make assignments at the magazines where they work. To be a writing contest judge, the editor is essentially agreeing to read all of the articles put before him. If yours is in the pile, then the editor will read it — and get to know your skills and style in the process.
Now, there's usually no way to tell which editors will be judging which categories of which contests, so this method of self-promotion is not about cornering an editor who has been rejecting your query letters for months on end. Instead, think of entering writing contests as a way to get your work in front of editors whom you may otherwise have no way of knowing. And, if your work is good, you will be getting it in front of the editors not as “one in a sea of queries,” but as “the best among the field of competition.”
Free Press
Even better, should your work actually be the best among the field of competition, you will receive free press through the organization that runs the writing contest. These groups usually highlight winning contest entries on their Web sites and in news releases that are sent to huge databases of industry professionals and news organizations — people you would have to spend weeks contacting if you tried to promote your fabulous writing skills on your own.
The free press that you can receive by winning a writing contest is terrific because it is specific to you and your work, but it comes from a third party. The organization conducting the contest will usually send out press releases that tout your achievement, making the group act like a de facto marketing agent on your behalf.
The upshot is that you should enter as many writing contests as you can. And as long as the contests are legitimate, don't grumble about the entry fees. Think of them as marketing expenses (and remember to list them as a potential tax write-off for your accountant to consider).
