I used to treat writing contests like a gamble. I’d scroll through listings, pay my entry fees, and hope for a miracle. It was a strategy built on “maybe,” and it left my bank account empty.

The issue wasn’t that my writing was bad, it was that my strategy was non-existent. I was treating contests like $20 lottery tickets instead of a professional investment.

​After a few years of losing money on entry fees and not applying to win anything, I had to stop and look at the math. I realized that for a working freelancer, “hope” is a dangerous business plan. Here is the advice I wish I’d had before I spent a cent on entry fees.

Time is the Most Expensive Entry Fee​

Most writers only look at entry fees in dollar amounts. I started looking at the clock and realized that I was spending way too much time on submissions that may not pay off in the long run.

If a submission requires four hours of tailoring, that is half a day I am not spending on a guaranteed freelance check. I now treat every entry as a total investment. If I wouldn’t work for a client for four hours without a guaranteed paycheck, I shouldn’t gamble that same time on a contest with a low win rate.

​I Stopped Chasing “the Big Ones”

A $10,000 top prize looks amazing, but if thousands of people enter, the competition is overwhelming. I’ve stopped asking, “Could I win this?” and started asking, “Is this a fit?”

My best advice is to look for niche, regional, or trade-specific contests. I would much rather enter a contest with a $200 prize and 30 entrants than a global one where I’m just a name in a pile. In smaller pools, your specific voice actually has a chance to be heard.​I audit accordingly.

Some contests offer “visibility” instead of cash. I’ve learned to be cold about this. Visibility only counts if it’s a credit I can use to land a higher-paying client. If the publication isn’t one my target editors read, the exposure is worthless.

I’m no longer willing to lose money because I feel “honored” to be seen. If it doesn’t lead to a paycheck or a massive career level-up, it’s just a hobby.

Portfolio vs Payday​

I now separate my submissions into two categories. If my entry is for “rent money,” the odds must be high and the fee must be low.

If the entry is to grow my “brand” as a freelance writer, I’m willing to take a longer shot, but only if the publication name is prestigious enough to act as a permanent boost for my resume. Everything has to add up on paper.

​The hardest lesson I learned was that I had to stop romanticizing my writing and start being protective of my time. Adopting these guardrails didn’t mean I gave up on my dreams; it meant I started valuing my own work enough to stop giving it away for free. But this is something that has taken a long time to master.

I still hope to someday win a stellar prize in a writing contest. But I’ve become more picky. Now, when I skip a contest that doesn’t fit my goals, I don’t feel like a failure, I feel like a business owner.

Once you stop treating contests like a lottery, the rejection doesn’t sting. You just move on to the next opportunity that actually respects your worth. Lately, one person has been respecting my writing the most: me.

BIO – Millicent Mwololo Lagat is a writer who focuses on stories that matter. She enjoys the ins, outs and in-betweens of the writing world. https://muckrack.com/millicent-mwololo 

ID 20200133 © Corina Rosu | Dreamstime.com