Creative Writing Awards - How To Win Short Story Competitions And Gain More Money

A lot of people win writing awards and achieve a big hard cash income, year in year out. How do they do it? They understand what judges of writing contests search for.

Almost all writing award schemes, if well judged, will have demanding conditions for evaluating entries. Many contests publish their criteria, a few don't. In case they don't, how will you know what judges are seeking?

Here are the three most crucial things that contest judges typically look for at the outset.

Bear in mind: all judges are individuals, as are literary agents and publishers' readers. A story that lifts one judge into a rhapsody of incoherent delight will leave yet another cold. That's why a good contest will have a rating scheme set up.

A system is vital - not so much in detecting an outright winner (the quality of an exceptional entry typically speaks for itself), but in helping to make fine judgements between, for example, the winner of a third award and a runner-up award. (Additionally, it reduces the danger of judges disgreeing.)

Here is a typical points system.

A 'perfect' story will often have an overall total score of thirty points. The top 3 award winners commonly score in the range of 25-30 points while the ten shortlisted winners typically fall into the 20-25 points class.

True, there is certainly still room for personal judgement. Every judge will certainly give slightly different - sometimes completely different - points in every category. That's exactly why a story that fails in a single contest might well go on to gain first prize in yet another. It's also the reason why, if you feel your story is great, you must keep on submitting - and enhancing it!

1. Exactly how well does the entry reflect the theme, genre or contestant needs of the competition?

Not all competitions are given a theme. If the organizers ask simply for short stories of any kind whatsoever, this type of evaluation is inappropriate. But beware of an award scheme that has no conditions and terms. Maybe it falls short of discrimination in some other respects too? :) Typically the guidelines for style, genre and/or author, etc, are plainly explained.

It will go without saying that you should not submit, for instance, an undoubtedly 'Christmas' story using a 'summer vacation' topic, or a poem, script or detective mystery to a children's fiction contest - or an entry to a contest designed to recognize Afro-Caribbean authors if you cannot, by any stretch of the mind, qualify as an Afro-Caribbean.

If it is obvious, why say it? Because, as many competition promoters can tell you: people don't always read the rules. A lot of entries are barred from writing award schemes because they overlooked the rules.

Total achievable points: 10

2. Does the story engage the reader emotionally all the way through?

Several stories are impressively clever. They dance with ingenuity, humor or wordplay. Nonetheless they don't impress the judges. They are cerebral exercises.

The people in such tales are card board or the concepts trivial or the narrative tenuous. By the end the reader no longer worries how the story will turn out. It requires enormous craft talent to make the reader worry about personas and situations which are totally fabricated.

Total possible points: 10

3. Is the entry fresh in its concept?

Of course, take a well known storyline or theme. There have been just a few dozen of them conceived since the start of mankind so you're unlikely to create a new one. But do some thing brand new with them!

The jilted lover who plots a cruel revenge on his/her faithless spouse goes right back to the story of Medea. Yet (I hear you ask) surely we could execute a new slant? We could possibly have the spurned lover conceal his/her murder victim in a garage fridge freezer - just for the new lover, horrified, to come across it. Couldn't we? Not a chance. That's just a reprise of Bluebeard's cupboard.

Certainly, there's nothing wrong with echoing the theme of Bluebeard's closet, if you disguise it by using a very original twist!

Total possible points: 10

Those are simply the top three factors that judges will use. Normally, they have a lot more. A more complex scheme of criteria might consist of 100 points or even more, and look at several other aspects.

But if your writing is good - and you get just the first three factors correct every time - you're nicely on your way to gaining a five figure spare-time salary from writing awards, year in year out. It's a win-win profit scheme!


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Dr John Yeoman, PhD Creative Writing, is director of the writing awards centre Writers' Village. A university lecturer in short story writing, he is a veteran contest judge. You'll find a wealth of wily plans to win cash prizes in his big manual How to Win Writing Contests for Profit. Acquire it free now at:
http://www.writers-village.org/writing_awards