by Paul Rance

Created on: April 05, 2010

As a small press publisher of some 25 years standing, I've judged both poetry and short story competitions. There is no big secret about doing well. Succeeding in a competition or contest really depends on a small number of factors, which I'll focus on in this article.

If you are new to entering literary competitions, it is probably best to start off by entering competitions with smallish prize money. Obviously the higher the prize money, then the higher the number of entries - and the higher the quality of the work submitted.

Study the guidelines of each competition to the letter, and be neat with your presentation. A work of genius will probably be overlooked if you just scrawl something on a shabby piece of paper. Most competitions will insist on the work being typed, or at least will prefer it to be so. This is simply for reasons of clarity. If you have composed a work of genius, and your handwriting can't be deciphered, then you will obviously rule yourself out of the running.

Make sure that your work is very specific regarding the competition you enter. If a competition is about science fiction, then a poem or a story about science FACT will be dismissed. Many poets and writers do make the mistake of having a poem or story they've previously written, and will see a competition category which their work will vaguely fit into, and send in a rehashed version (if that competition is calling for original entries), or the original version. For instance, a poem or a story about man exploring space will not, by itself, count as science fiction. If you add a futuristic slant, then it will fit into the category of science fiction. Just a subtle change, but a big difference in relevance.

Your chances of winning a competition are mainly going to be down to 1) your own ability, and 2) paying attention to the other important aspects I've previously mentioned. The more competitions you enter, then, logically, the more skilled you are going to be as you gain experience. Reputable literary competitions will judge a poem or story purely on the basis of how good it is, if you have adhered to all the guidelines, and that is the reason why most competitions don't want your name and address on the front of your entry! As with all competitions, there is an element of luck, as all judges have different tastes. Good luck, and don't give up if you fall short the first time!

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