Big Profits From Writing Competitions - At Least Cost
How could you profit from story competitions more reliably and enjoyably? Here's a win-win story plan to help you succeed in creative writing competitions.
Tip #1. Search for contests which offer a superb range of awards.
A good range could include a primary award of $250, 2nd award of $50, 3rd prize of $30, and ten extra awards of $15. Such a competition presents you 13 ways to be successful. That is a good writing contest!
To provide a bonus, a lot of competitions additionally include individualized evaluations for the significant winners.
Nevertheless, should you strain every single brain cell to address a major contest that offers solely one exceptional top prize, yet no extra cash payouts, it will be little consolation to find yourself honored later amongst its prime 100 near winners - if the names are posted at all.
Tip #2. Look for contests which supply cash prizes but where participants must satisfy distinct requirements.
The factors could insist that the writer comes inside a certain age range, racial group, gender, profession or nationality. Provided you genuinely suit these criteria, you have a better opportunity of winning than if you enter a competition which places virtually no boundaries on any entrant.
Why? The total of participants will be fewer plus the judges will probably be seeking factors within the narrative which illustrate the key elements of this contest. Being an authentic person in the specialized niche, you can persuasively provide those factors. The prizes might even be greater than usual since these competitions are usually managed by bodies which have some public relations, ethnic or political goal to follow - together with a spending budget to match.
Not surprisingly, it would be very rash to fake your personal identity to go into such contests...
The promoters of a writing contest will thirst to publicise the victors to aid their public relations activities. So if a contest is organized to encourage female Canadian writers yet you disguise yourself as, for instance, a Vancouver-born mommy of three it could be very uncomfortable in the event you win and are then required to grant a press interview. Especially when you appear to be, unquestionably, a macho Australian.
Something such as this took place this past year for the recipient of a women's book award who wrote using a female identity. As soon as the recipient arrived at the prize ceremony, everyone was amazed to find that the woman was a retired brigadier in his sixties, with a moustache. It would not come as a surprise if the organisers seized back the award...
Tip #3. Search out contests that request merely a token entrance payment.
A rate of simply $8-$16 (£5-£10) is a reasonable gamble when the top money award approaches 3 figures. A fee of $30 or more is possibly not. For a once a week expense of $160 (£100) plus entry fees of $8 (£5) you can enter something like 20 contests each week and have a quite beneficial opportunity, not just of recuperating your expenditure, but also of producing a healthy return.
At $30 per entry, given a $160 budget, you can enter merely a few contests every week and you would have extremely little opportunity of profiting in any way.
A further tip: once your entry has won, right away send it once more elsewhere - adapted to the policies of the different competitions. But do check that the competition regulations don't clearly bar the submission of stories that have previously won a contest.
Your odds of succeeding in a further contest will also be now higher since you're presenting a tested "product"!
About the Author
Dr John Yeoman, PhD Creative Writing, is founder of the writing contest ideas centre Writers' Village. A university tutor in short story writing, he has been for many years a contest judge. Enjoy a wealth of wily tips to win cash prizes in his 7000-word guide How to Win Writing Contests for Profit. Acquire it free now at: http://www.writers-village.org/ideas
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