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Why Enter Literary Contests?

"The consensus among editors and publishers seems to be that literary prizes have become more important in the last decade, as publishers and booksellers have grown more adept at taking advantage of them. Heidi Pitlor, an editor at Houghton Mifflin, says, 'The more opportunities we have to put a gold seal on the cover of one of our books, the better.'...

"One reason prizes are more important than ever is that competition for consumers' attention has grown so fierce. In 1999, a hundred and twenty thousand books were published in the United States....

"[T]he less information consumers have about something, the more they're forced to rely on...third-party imprimaturs. This helps explain a curious fact about American literary prizes: they generally help relative unknowns much more than stars. Michael Cunningham, Carol Shields, Pete Dexter: all saw sales skyrocket after winning major prizes."

James Surowiecki, "The Power of the Prize," The New Yorker, June 18, 2001

Excerpt from "Writing Contests: For Winners? Or a Waste of Time?"

"Contests can provide you with a showcase for your work, a chance to bring your work before judges who are also editors, agents, or published writers in their other incarnations. And you don't have to win the contests to be a winner, either. Many writers will tell about their experiences of being contacted by editors or agents who read their contest submissions and were impressed enough to ask to see the whole manuscript.... 'Contests can open doors for writers,' [says writer Dawn Tomasko]. 'It's a tight, competitive market and if an editor or agent notices your work through a contest so much the better. It's one way to get a foot in the door. I very much liked reading the different judges' responses to my work....'"

Glenys O'Connell, "Writing Contests: For Winners? Or a Waste of Time?", Contest Guru

Excerpt from The Poetry Life Alternative Guide to Getting Your Poetry Published

"Read up on the winning poems from previous competitions...get an understanding of the quality necessary to win, and enter. The vast majority of entrants in poetry competitions are simply not up to standard and the first reading can reduce the field by up to 80%. So if your work is good there is often less competition than you think. Winning a major poetry competition gets you the best possible publicity - and a fat check!"

Adrian Bishop, The Poetry Life Alternative Guide to Getting Your Poetry Published plus How (Not) to Win Poetry Competitions (2000)