This time of year, I am busily preparing entries for a myriad of contests around the country. Some are poetry only, others include fiction and nonfiction. As a general rule, I try to hit contests that provide the most bang for my buck, since I am not among the one percent of writers lucky and good enough to earn a living from slinging ink. I look for contests that offer several categories for one low fee, or a low fee per entry in each. Contests that award only one prize are generally a waste of time, and contests that have no entry fee, though inviting, usually receive ten blue-zillion entries, drastically reducing your chances of winning. So, what are the contests I enter?
Most of the state poetry societies run good contests at a cheap price. I usually try to enter a good number of them. Some writers' organizations run contests that offer all types of writing awards, such as the Springfield Writers' Guild from Missouri, Saturday Writers, also from Missouri, and The Write Helper online. I enter several sets of convention/conference contests, as well. White County (Ark.) Creative Writers Conference in September, Maumelle (Ark.) Writers' Conference in November, and Ozark (Ark./Mo.) Writers Conference in October are all good ones.
In order to be a good contester, you simply MUST be ORGANIZED! No excuses. Buy a large wall calendar from Office Depot or WalMart with big squares for the dates and write your deadlines in ahead of time. Mark a reminder at least a week before the deadline to spark your steel-trap memory. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST DAY TO GET YOUR MANUSCRIPT(S) READY TO MAIL. You will pull out any hair you may have left, and you very possibly will fail to follow EXACTLY the guidelines for entries if you try to rush.
Make sure you have proper sized manuscript envelopes so the judges don't have to iron out your pages to get rid of the curls. Most judges won't do it. They'll simply relegate your unprofessional papers to the trash pile. They have too many other entries that are neat and mailed in proper envelopes to worry about entries jammed in too small envelopes.
Whatever you decide to enter, treat it as an audition of your talents and skills as a professional writer. Send only your best.
Next time, "How do I know my poem or story or essay is ready to enter a contest?"
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