What to look for in a writing contest

Not every writing contest is the same and some are even unreputable. It's writer beware. Here are some indications that a contest is legitimate:

1. It offers a substantial prize for the winner, often including cash plus publication.

2. The entry fee, if there is one, is reasonable and in proportion to the potential prize.

3. The prize is real - that is, cold hard cash and not a coupon or anything else that can't be used in the real world.

4. It does not take a writer's rights to the work beyond what's reasonable (and in our view, ethical). For example, some contests claim all rights to any work that is submitted, even if it doesn't win the contest. This is wrong. If you don't win, the work should remain yours to sell or publish elsewhere.

5. The contest provides contact information and someone available to answer questions. Your questions are answered by a real person before you submit your work.

The Valhalla Press contest meets all these guidelines.

Our submission fee is modest and is paid through Paypal, a safe and convenient way that doesn't expose the writer to the risk of providing credit card or banking information to an unknown party.

Our prize is paid in cold, hard cash, right into the winner's Paypal account for use as he or she sees fit. There's nothing to buy and no preconditions. We also send the winner his choice of ereaders, at our expense even if the winner is outside the United States. The only exception is if the reader can't be imported into the winner's country. In that case, we will substitute an additional amount of cold, hard cash.

 We do not take any rights from those who don't win. We only take first electronic publication right from the winners who will appear in our e-lit journal, Ragnarok.

We answer all questions promptly, via email. If you wish to talk to one of us via telephone, email us and we will send you our phone number. We primarily use email because we know many of our contestants are overseas and don't want to incur the cost of an international call. But the option is open.

Of course, you don't have to take our word for all this. Many writer's magazines publish guidelines on contests too (and run contests themselves.) For an unbiased view on why writers should enter contests like ours, check out this recent article in The Writer:

Use contests as a stepping stone by Hope Clark.