Winning and Losing Writing Competitions

Revised Originally published May 19, 2022

My favorite poet Emily Dickinson sent her poems to The Atlantic Monthly Magazine in 1862. Editor Thomas Wentworth Higginson promptly rejected them. Emily suffered deeply from the rejection.  What did Emily do when she received the news that the editor was not interested in her writing? She wrote even more poems! Emily turned something negative into something good. The communication between the editor and writer turned into a relationship based on poetry that lasted for many years.

If there’s a chance the winner might only receive a virtual pat on the back, why do people enter writing competitions? They might lose. Sending your writing to a competition involves risk. What if no one acknowledges you and you contact the magazine to see who won? I did that. (I still do!) Sometimes, only Grandma and your husband will know you won that gift certificate or a Famous Writers tote bag. Do it, even if all you win is a note saying your work is promising.

A writing competition is where a person submits a piece of writing by the deadline following the submission guidelines and paying a fee. Different publications and contest sponsors have varying standards. The judges likely have favorite things to look for or that one thing that catches their eye. Judges may have diverse lifestyles, experiences, or education. Submissions are often read first by assistants before sending their choices to the judge. Prizes may include money, from ten dollars to thousands. Your writing could win publication. The prize could be a subscription to the magazine or a free course. Don’t forget that part where your name appears in print. If you’re lucky, your photo could be featured. The word “winner” looks good on a resume.

One of the best things I said to myself after I lost a prestigious contest was “I’ll show them! Just wait until next year. “

One of the best things I said to myself after I lost a prestigious contest was “I’ll show them! Just wait until next year. “ Even losing a competition for creative writing at the county fair caused me grief. “ They’ll be sorry. The State Fair has a better prize anyway!”   I have lots of dialogue and pep talks with myself. After all, I’m a writer. Who else is going to listen to me analyze why my writing wasn’t chosen? Was it that word I changed at the last minute? Can they tell how old I am by my writer’s voice? I guess they wanted a younger person. Was my poem too conservative or too artistic, or too political, religious, personal, or contained too many foreign-language words?  A woman ridiculed me once because I lost a poetry contest. I composed a great comeback on the spot. Being a winner means continuing to do what matters. It shows you’re alive and you didn’t let life defeat you!

Then there are the questions about what my writing was “not.’ Not creative enough, not contemporary enough, not relevant, not rigid enough, not original enough, or not bold. I didn’t make the judges cut since I was afraid to go outside the boundaries, whatever those unspoken boundaries are, those boundaries that are really what the judges say they are but never stated in the guidelines. Maybe my story was offensive since my poem talked about a sensitive topic. My novel had things that might trigger a reader’s anxiety or cause bad memories. I forgot to include trigger warnings at the front of the manuscript. How am I to know what will trigger another person’s anxiety? What about the thousands of years since writing was invented and the author just wrote whatever was in their mind?

“They’ll be sorry. The State Fair has a better prize anyway!”

I’d be crazy not to use my education. I love writing so much that I majored in creative writing. My dream was always to be a writing teacher. I used examples of writing competitions in the classroom; the winners, the losers, the good and the bad, even though they were officially the winning submission. We discussed many of the things I’m writing about today. My students worked in groups to critique winning entries. They judged each other’s writing for fun. They learned where winning poems and stories are published. Students researched literary journals, magazines, online publications, and competitions sponsored by libraries and schools. Entering all those competitions gives the writer practice in editing, proofreading, and other valuable skills.

Why do I continue entering competitions after suffering so much doubt about myself? I might give up writing forever and take it easy. What good does it do to hit the submit button again after feeling so hurt when my manuscript wasn’t chosen? What makes me so sure of my creative talent that I write cover letters and check to see if I used the correct font or spacing?

“I remember my Dad’s favorite answer when my sisters and I would fail at something. Try, try again”, he’d remind us.

What have I won? I’ve won honorable mentions, third place, second place, and a critique. Three of my stories were published in an anthology. Three of my poems are now included in the Indiana State Library’s Hoosier Author Section. I won scholarships to writing courses in Lithuania and Scotland. There’s more as they say on those late-night info-commercials. My writing resume keeps getting better and better.

Keep Writing!

Here are the links to read my poems on the Indiana State Library website.

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