Writing Contests: Should You Take the Plunge?

By Becky Tuch

There are a lot of great reasons to enter writing contests. First and foremost, there is the possibility of winning one. That’s a mighty fine feeling. Then too there is the cash reward. No need to remind you, dear hardworking writer, how splendid is the cash reward.

But with so many people entering contests, and with most journals and literary organizations charging fairly high reading fees (anywhere from $10 - $40, the latter often the case in novel contests), is the effort and expenditure truly worth it?

My opinion? Yes. Absolutely, yes.

Aside from the cash prize, winning a contest usually means publication in a magazine. Both yield readership, relationships with editors, and exposure. Danielle Lazarin, who won Glimmer Train's Fall 2013 Family Matters Contest says, “When I won, and in the time since, I've received emails from multiple agents and editors, and they've all come via the contest win.” Rebecca Meacham, author of Let's Do, echoes this sentiment. When asked about the benefits of entering writing contests, she replied, “Visibility if announced in [Poets & Writers Magazine], etc., which can lead to…agent or other interest.”

You might also get that story published, even if it's not a first place winner. Says Grant Faulkner, writer and editor of 100 word story: “I entered a story in the Southwest Review's fiction contest several years ago. It didn't win, but it came in second. I asked if they'd consider publishing it, and they accepted it. The irony was that they'd rejected the same story just a year or so previously.” Says Lynne Barrett, author of Magpies, “Starting out, I entered one, was a runner-up, and the mgazine went on to publish me…”

Then too there is the benefit of having an esteemed writer read your work. I have entered contests I knew were a long-shot, but I loved the judge’s work so much I didn’t care. I paid for the opportunity to have my story sit in the hands of one of my literary heroes, if just for a brief moment. 

Contests also tend to be more democratic than general submissions. Because names are withheld from the manuscript, an unestablished writer is on equal footing with Mr. Top Dog Writer. The editors and judges won’t be thinking about whose name on the journal's cover will help sell issues. The work itself is the single important thing. “My feeling,” says writer Joan Kane Nichols, “…is that you get a more serious reading when they know you've paid for it.”

Winning a contest may include a public reading of your work, and/or a write-up about your story from an editor. These, in turn, may foster a long-term relationship with that editor. Says Lisa Borders, author of The Fifty-First State, “I won a couple of lit mag contests early on, and I think they helped to further my career. In one case, the judge of the contest became a major writing mentor.”

Finally, nothing motivates better than a contest deadline. If you know a story has to be out the door by December 15th, and that you’re putting money behind that story, you know you will work as hard as you can to make it your best. Meacham listed “Deadline for work” as her number one reason for entering contests. In “Writing Contests: Why Not You?” Kathy Crowley says, “Can all you writers out there who don’t need deadlines raise your hands?...I thought so.” Crowley adds, “Contests force you to step up your game. Yes, in theory we write to the best of our abilities all the time, but doesn’t it get easier to do that when you know that some Person of Authority is going to be reading what you wrote? It does for me.”

Entering contests can also keep things interesting. Relates writer Deirdra McAfee, "I always enter a few, as I always apply for a few residencies. The hope of gambling and winning lightens the more usual slew of rejections.”

Of course, the entrance fees are a drawback. You might want only to enter contests that give a journal subscription for the fee. James Scott, author of The Kept, says, “I would happily apply to a contest if my entry fee came with a subscription.” Writer Janeen Rastall says, “For me the contests that I enter it is a win/win, I have a chance to win the contest or a chance to be one of the entries selected for future publication and I get a subscription to a journal that I like!"

Or, you might want to put a cap on how much you’re willing to spend. Relates Lazarin, "If you can find a cap you're comfortable with for submission fees, it's no riskier than submitting to mags regularly, except you can get a financial boost and sometimes a career one as well.” Writer Allie Marini Batts says, “I treat it like buying a lottery ticket--can't win if you don't play--but you also can't quit your job because 'you're going to win the lottery.' I generally only submit to one fee-based contest per month (more if the fee is low, less if the fee is high.)”

Barrett says, “I think that it's a good idea for a writer wanting to break through to study the contests and set aside some budget for this. For one thing, knowing you are paying to enter means you might take extra care to revise and polish.” She adds, “I have mixed feelings about journals (Narrative, I'm looking at you) that have high fees for all or almost all of their submissions as part of their financial model.” 

Another drawback is that because of the money, you might feel less inclined to submit that work elsewhere. Says writer Calvin Hennick, “For me, the biggest drawback (other than the obvious fact that they cost money) is that you can't really simultaneously submit when you enter a contest. I'm not going to drop twenty bucks on a reading fee and then 'risk' my story getting taken by another publication. So you're really tying up some of your (presumably) best work when you submit to a contest.”

Of course, when you pay these fees, you’re also supporting lit mags, most of whom sponsor these contests precisely in order to attain the financial support that keeps their journals running. (Perhaps if more writers, ahem, subscribed to lit mags, such fundraising efforts would not be necessary…But I digress.)

Another drawback might be a sense of fairness, or lack thereof. Says Susan Tepper, author of The Merrill Diaries, “I used to enter a lot of them (back in the non-online days) but it came to naught. I started to feel there was some funny business going on because the same people kept winning, while the rest of us seemed to be funding the prize money.”

And, you might simply dislike contests. Amy MacLennon, author of several poetry chapbooks, says, “I just don't like the *concept* of a contest. Personally, the 'ranking' of poems into first, second, third, finalists, honorable mentions etc. just seems so contrived. I tend to focus on anthologies or themed magazines from good presses. I like my poem to be part of a larger whole. For me that feels a lot more natural than ranking poems by numbers."

Another writer who doesn’t like contests is Richard Peabody. Says the Gargoyle editor, "I don't take them seriously, never have." His advice? "Never enter.” Writer Amber Lynn says, “I prefer straight submissions as I feel it gives me a greater chance of publication. The pool in contests is large with one winner.”

As for advice, writer and Hippocampus editor Donna Talarico offers this: “Make sure entry is in the best shape--don't be too eager to enter that you send anything. Example: Hippocampus just closed it's contest for creative nonfiction... we had three withdraw a submission with reason 'to edit'... we had a $10 fee so I feel bad that these folks paid to enter and then withdrew.”

In the end, you’ll decide what’s right for you. Are you content to ignore contests and simply submit to magazines? Or do you want to go for the gold? (Or the silver or bronze.) Do you use contests as a way to give yourself a deadline and get your work out the door? 

What has your experience been, dear hardworking writer? Do tell.

Becky Tuch is the founding editor of The Review Review.

Please note: if you have trouble posting your comment, you can email it to us. We will post it to the site as soon as we can.