Creative Writing Competition

[Cantufind FSS]

Having had such a great response from my ad here for post writers for our blog, and in my capacity as a pro writer in the real world I've been given the go ahead to start a global creative writing ompetition with a prize of $250 - $500. I will be looking for judges from University lecturers etc but would also like a judge or three from this forum, because after all, it was the feedback I got that gave me the idea. The comp will be probably monthly or three monthly to give writers time to sort a decent piece.

So here's the help I need. Markerters, you guys know the market, and would know qualified content when you see it. What subjects should we challenge writers with? I and other academics know the writing aspect, but want to leave the content to you guys, so how do I go about getting volunteer judges of some note?

Advice on all aspects of the competition concept and idea welcome, I've been given the get go to increase the prizes significantly if the comp takes off.

Advice greatly appreciated.

[SEO_AM]

You have prize money, but no judge money? Why would anyone that is super busy making money with their time do this for free? What is the incentive... Good will?

[EGOL]

How are you going to handle these two situations?

1) I think that you are going to get a ton of crap entries - and content that has been grabbed from copyrighted sources and reworked enough to pass duplicate filters. Look what people do here for a lousy link! They would quickly steal something and send it in to you. I say this from experience running small contests on my site that have prizes as small as a baseball cap.

2) Why should a really great writer enter this contest? If I write an article that might win a contest it is going to be much more valuable as a unique piece of content on my own website.

[Cantufind FSS]

You have prize money, but no judge money? Why would anyone that is super busy making money with their time do this for free? What is the incentive... Good will?

The judges I've managed to engage so far are University lecturers in Creative Writing to Degree level who are also published authors. They were insulted by the offer of a fee for judging because they were more interested in encouraging budding writers to develop their skills, and more importantly being SEEN to support this kind of competition.

What do you think I should pay a judge, and if so do I base it on their qualifications, experience? What? I know they pay the judges in America's got talent and the X-Factor but I was kind of thinking more on the lines that if a renowned marketing expert has taken their time to encourage potential writers then that is highly commendalbe and would surely reward then by taking their time to share their knowledge umpartially and without thinking about £$$£

[Cantufind FSS]

How are you going to handle these two situations?

1) I think that you are going to get a ton of crap entries - and content that has been grabbed from copyrighted sources and reworked enough to pass duplicate filters. Look what people do here for a lousy link! They would quickly steal something and send it in to you. I say this from experience running small contests on my site that have prizes as small as a baseball cap.

2) Why should a really great writer enter this contest? If I write an article that might win a contest it is going to be much more valuable as a unique piece of content on my own website.

Sorry Ergol, I should have been a bit more clear. I wasn't targetting this forum for writers or entrants, I understand it's all about money here, not marketing yourself. Thankfully I will have enough entrants from the Universities who's students would kill to get an article published online. I've a Phd in Professional Writing and know this for a fact. What I was looking for was judges not entrants. Hope that helps a little.

On your point 2 it forces a reply. If your're that good and your sure you're going to win the contest you'd not only have the prize money but also the right to the content for whatever you wanted it for. There was no mention of the entrant being published unless the author so wished???

[SEO_AM]

The judges I've managed to engage so far are University lecturers in Creative Writing to Degree level who are also published authors. They were insulted by the offer of a fee for judging because they were more interested in encouraging budding writers to develop their skills, and more importantly being SEEN to support this kind of competition.

With this reply and your reply to EGOL above, it sounds as though your contest is not a ruse just to get something for nothing.

Good luck with your contest. Possibly some of our members will volunteer.

[Cantufind FSS]

With this reply and your reply to EGOL above, it sounds as though your contest is not a ruse just to get something for nothing.

Good luck with your contest. Possibly some of our members will volunteer.

It's far from that, I spent a lot of years and money doing my doctorate in Pro writing and would have loved to have had the chance to get independantly published. It boosts the confidence of the student no end and that is my only motive. There are brilliant writers out there SEO_AM, and if we can nurture that by encouraging this we can all benefit.

It's sad but understanble for you to be cynical but there are some of us out there that really do want to promote things they love. I'm just happy my employers back me in giving me free reign to get this done.