Is Entering Writing Competitions Worth It?

The answer: yes and no!

I’ll come out with it straight away: I’m a big fan of writing competitions (contests if you’re in the US!) I think it’s the straight-A student in me that longs for validation. I’ve often wished that as an adult I could be given a report card every so often so I can know how I’m doing at life. (I would get As for reading, Bs for gardening, and I might scrape a D for housework). Anyway, that’s my own issue that I need to deal with. When it comes to writing competitions, though, there are other benefits beside validation.

A track history of winning or placing in competitions is a good boost to morale, looks good on your writing CV, might help to grow your readership, may help literary agents and publishers be more interested in your work, grows your connections within the writing community, and gives you something to put in your Christmas newsletter. There are many more benefits to success in writing competitions, too: prize money, accolade and I’m sure you can think of more.

But, statistically, you’re not that likely to win. So… is it worth it? The answer, inevitably, is: it depends. If it happens to be a free writing competition, something like Globe Soup or

London Writers' Salon

, then it is absolutely always worth a try. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.

The art of losing, too, is good practice for the rejections that are always part of being a submitting writer, and will give you an idea of the calibre of your work, especially if you find out that you’ve longlisted, shortlisted, or received an honourable mention or similar. Studying the winning stories of various competitions is a great way of honing your craft, too. What is it about the winning story that is so good? Pick it apart and analyse it. Don’t copy it, but work out why the bones of the story work. I’m thinking about doing a series of Substack posts with some of my prize-winning stories along with an analysis of how I wrote them and why the work — let me know in the comments if you’d be interested in that.

What about competitions that charge a fee to enter? I’d say a few things about this. Firstly, how much does it cost, and how does that stack up against the prize? If a competition is charging you £20 to enter and the top prize is £50, for me that’s a hard pass. If you think the cost-to-winning-benefit is good, how ready do you think you are for that competition? Do you have a story written that fits the brief that you believe is the best it can be? Do you have a draft that you could polish and send? Or would you be able to write something good enough in time?

This is where a second set of eyes is really valuable. Have you got a critique partner you could send your story to for feedback before you enter? That will help you to gauge how ready you are. A professional editor is also a really good idea. This obviously costs in additional to the entry fee, but will help you elevate your story to a higher standard, which, if it doesn’t succeed in that particular competition, may well have success in another, or be picked up by a journal or similar. So this money is never wasted. I offer editing, critiquing and feedback services myself, at reasonable rates. Click here for info!

Also think about whether you get anything else out of the competition: do all entrants receive feedback, for instance? The first writing competition I ever entered was the NYC Midnight 100 word challenge, which admittedly had quite a steep entry fee, but what drew me to it was the fact that every single story entered not only got feedback from several judges, but also received unlimited peer feedback on their forums. This was before I’d built up a writing community of my own, and those first bits of feedback were invaluable for me. That competition also had the benefit of taking place in three different rounds, so I knew that if I did well, I could have up to three stories receive professional and peer feedback. As it happened, I reached the final of that competition and learnt a lot about microfiction.

If you can afford it, that type of thing is great to enter. As a rule, my suggestion is that you spend on writing submissions the same you would spend on going out for coffee. Some people can afford to spend £5 or £10 on that every single week, in which case, go for it. For me, right now, that is an occasional treat, and so I treat entering writing competitions accordingly: if something really catches my eye, I’ll enter, a few times a year.

Back in December, I paid just £1 to enter the Failing Writers’ Podcast flash fiction competition, which felt like a reasonable risk for a story I really loved and had honed. I also love that podcast, so was happy to give them the support, regardless, even if it was only a pound. And that turned out to be a very worthwhile spend, as I ended up winning first place, and receiving £500! You can listen to a professional recording of my story, as well as me talking about how I wrote the piece, on their episode here.

The other thing that’s worth bearing in mind is that lots of competitions offer free or reduced places for those who can’t afford to enter otherwise, or for marginalised writers. Never be afraid to take up these opportunities, if they apply to you. And, of course, there are always grants available to writers. I received thousands of pounds from the Arts Council England a couple of years ago to work on flash fiction for a year, and part of that money was to put towards entering writing competitions. You can read more about how I received that grant on my Substack post here.

So, to summarise: weigh up the cost and benefit of each competition, make your story the best it can be before entering, consider what other advantages come with entering the competition, and look into what subsidies and grants might be available to you. I don’t believe in luck, but I wish you much skill as you write and enter!

What are your thoughts on writing competitions? Do let me us know in the comments!

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