Writers look at contests for entry fee, word count, prize money, potential publication, and which influential judge might be on board to read the entries. But what is also important to note is the rights you give up if you win. . . or maybe even if you just enter.

Begin with understanding why an entity is even running the contest. What is the motive? Such motives can be:

1) To make money with entry fees. Often the fees tally higher than the prize money and expenses, giving the sponsor a profit. It’s how many literary journals stay afloat.

2) To draw attention to other products. Entities might need members, or wish to sell tickets to courses or classes or editing services, or hope to draw attention to a book or two, and a contest is free advertising to the rest of the entity’s assets.

3) To gather assets in the form of all these stories, poems, or prose and use them to populate a website, publish an anthology, or gain a connection to writers’ brands for future use. (i.e., We’ve had successful authors like John Doe participate in our contests.)

There is nothing illegal about any of this. It’s not unethical, either. After all, the terms are clear in the fine print you are supposed to read before entering. You know the rights you offer when you submit. You cannot claim ignorance later. You understand why the contest exists in the first place.

Most writers understand giving up certain rights when they place or win a contest. However, many prefer not to lose rights for just entering…especially if they paid for the honor to begin with. Sometimes what and if you enter are dictated by whether you feel you can afford to give up those rights.

Even the most reputable contests take rights. I just declined Reedsy’s new literary prize because of rights. We had a pleasant conversation about it, and we amicably parted ways. FundsforWriters is not saying do not enter this contest. The entity has a decent reputation. However, the rights terms are as follows, in part (cited out of their email to me in our discussion):

Re: rights, these are our terms in part:
Each entrant retains the copyright to their entry but grants to Reedsy a non-exclusive, irrevocable, perpetual, transferable, sub-licensable, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, publish, edit and otherwise use the entry on our website(s) and platform(s) to publish all or part of your entry and in all media now known or hereafter discovered at our discretion. …

If your story is selected as Winner (and even if you are not selected as a Winner), you may still publish the story elsewhere, but the publication must include: the relevant prompt; and acknowledgment to Reedsy.com for providing the prompt that inspired the story.

Again, understand why a contest is being held in the first place. The most common (and most desirable) is the contest that only takes limited rights if you place or win, and no rights for entering. Reedsy wants to use your entry as an asset for future use. You may like that exposure. You may not. Totally your option.