Date:December 15, 2025
What makes a writing contest legitimate?
Thinking about entering our 13th Annual BrainStorm Poetry Contest? Deadline is March 14, 2014. Click here for details!
How do yo know a contest is legitimate? Read an excerpt from our book An Adventure in Chapbook Publishing: Make a Name for Yourself in Poetry by Anthony Chalk. 44 pages. $9.95
Excerpt
Writing contests
I recommend entering only the writing contests of poetry journals you believe in supporting. If you don’t win, at least you have invested in what you appreciate. Frequently entering contests can be costly, and not winning does not necessarily mean your writing is not good. It just may not have been the best in the judges’ view, or perhaps it wasn’t suitable. Nevertheless, if you do win a contest, it can help elevate the status of your writing.
What makes a writing contest legitimate?
A genuine contest is held to recognize quality writing and present it to readers in a credible way. The best editors conduct themselves with this in mind. They care about literary culture.
Generally, writing contests take place outside the realm of mass media without major arts funding. A small entry fee helps pay for the cost of publishing winning entries, and/or rewards the winners. If a little extra money exists, it is acceptable for a small press to absorb it.
Use the following list to identify the validity of the writing contests you are interested in.
- Complete contest guidelines and fees should be announced with sufficient notice prior to the contest.
- A contest with multiple judges is ideal. For various reasons, this isn’t practical for most small presses. Therefore, a single judge is acceptable. If this is the case, blind judging should be implemented (meaning the judge reviews the writing without being able to identify the author).
- An annual contest should regularly select a different judge.
- Requests for additional money beyond the entrance fee should be viewed with suspicion.
- Judges should be writers of some accomplishment, or at least, be familiar with and appreciate writing. (The broader their perspective the better.).
- Winning entrants should be adequately promoted before the public. This can be in print, on radio, at a reading, or any combination of such.
- Some business association is acceptable at these events, if literary relevance exists.
- Exclusive entry requirements, such as evaluation fees, may be a scheme designed to extract more money from entrants. Pay close attention.
- Winning entrants should be given at least one free copy of the publication venue in which their writing appears. As an entrant, you should not have to buy copies. Likewise, you should not have to pay to read your work publicly or have your writing published. Nor should you be expected to sell tickets to the event.
- Contestant information should not be harvested. Selling mailing lists, sending junk mail or Internet spam suggests the organizer is not reputable. You should feel comfortable asking for a privacy statement.
- Contests that have repeated winners, and or continued use of the same judge(s) should be evaluated. Perhaps the contest is fixed, the judge has too close an association with the winner(s), or a style bias exists.
For various reasons, good writing is not always publicly funded. Our contest entry fees support the literary arts. Let’s use them well. And spread the word about contests, whether they’re good or bad.
Copyright belongs to Northern Initiative for Social Action. To reproduce this article, contact the publisher for permission.
NISA/Northern Initiative for Social Action 2014
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