Avoiding Poetry Contest Scams: Best Legitimate Poetry Contests And Prizes

Advanced scribblers who want to make some easy money or build their resumes often submit to poetry contests. On the Internet, there are scores of legitimate poetry contests, but poetry contest scams exist as well. To avoid scams, writers need to know what qualifies a legitimate poetry contest and how to differentiate it from poetry contest scams.

The first red flag of poetry contest scams is when all of the poems win. When every poem wins, the entries are not being judged. To avoid scams, people submitting their work should try to find information about the judges. When contests omit information about the judges or judging, entrants should steer clear from the contest. Another warning sign of poetry contest scams is when all entries are considered for publication. By offering contest prizes such as a contract or book deal, these poetry contest scams have found a good way to get free content. They steal the poems without returning their side of the bargain. In the same vein, writers should watch out for poetry contest scams that claim all rights to the entries. This is another way for poetry contest scams to earn free material.

The best poetry contests are generally financed by entry fees. However, if the fees are exorbitant, it should raise eyebrows. It could potentially be one of the poetry contest scams. For shorter works, the fees range from $5 to $15, whereas for novels and screenplays, the entry fees oscillate between $25 and $50. The ratio between the contest prizes and the entry fees should be fair. If the contest costs $20 to enter and the grand prize is $50, it is not worthwhile. Also, poetry contest scams often offer stellar contest prizes; then the fine print says that the prizes depend on the number of entries. These contests are not likely to offer the extravagant prizes they boasted.

Common sense plays a big part in determining poetry contest scams. If the competition is run by an individual, the contest's reputation and the prize payment method are generally sub par. The best poetry contests are usually run by literary groups, magazines and publishers. However, not all publications are of equal quality. Being published in a third rate magazine, newspaper or website does nothing to enhance a writer's career. Also, if an entrant has to pay for a copy of the publication, it is likely to be a hoax. Usually a legitimate poetry contest will send the writer a complementary issue of the publication.

Having a skeptical outlook on poetry contests can help writers avoid scams. If the competition sounds too good to be true, that is likely the case. Doing some light research about the contest and its sponsor can help people avoid poetry contest scams, and instead find the best poetry contests. For more information about poetry contest scams, go to windpub.com/literaryscams.


Sources:
Allen, Moira. "Writing Contests: When Winners are Losers." Excerpted from Writing.com: Creative Internet Strategies to Advance Your Writing Career, Second Edition, Allworth Press, 2003. 15 August 2007. http://www.writing-world.com/rights/contests.shtml

"Contests and Vanity Anthologies." SFWA.org. Victoria Strauss. 2007. 15 August 2007. http://www.sfwa.org/beware/contests.html

"Literary Contest Caution." Wind Publications. 15 August 2007. http://windpub.com/literary.scams/

Yudkin, Marcia. "How to Sniff Out Literary Scams." Wind Publications. 15 August 2007. http://windpub.com/literary.scams/yudkin.htm