  Contests & Activities
This week: Edited by: spidey  
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Welcome to the Contests & Activities Newsletter. I'm spidey , and I'm your Editor this week. I'd like to discuss the variety of prizes that can be offered to contest winners.
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| ASIN: 0995498113 |
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Amazon's Price: $ 19.95
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Contest Prizes
Sometimes the prize can be what draws a contestant to a particular contest. Providing a substantial or unique prize can bring in more entries. The most common reward for contest winners is probably gift points, but let's take a look at a few others that may increase participation.
 Merit Badges - Not only are merit badges publicly displayed for others to see, but they also increase Community Recognition!
Awardicons - These are ribbons or trophies attached to the item itself for all to see.
Reviews - To many of us, Writing.Com is primarily a place to receive invaluable feedback on our work, so reviews as a prize make a lot of sense.
Signatures/Images - Customized signatures or images can make a creative prize for a contest.
WDC shop items - Offering something from the official Writing.Com store can be a very attractive prize! Some suggestions:
| | No Plot? No Problem! Pack #1055 Get geared up for this year's NanoWrimo with Chris Baty's "No Plot? No Problem!" pack.
Your Price: $29.95 |
*Remember that Shop items can be purchased with gift points!*
Memberships - Offer an membership, whether it's a 3-month Upgraded Membership, a 1-month Premium membership, another membership type & length, or the winner's choice. (Click on "My Gift Points" to view your gifting options, and remember that memberships may be purchased with gift points, too!)
Exposure - There are many ways in which you can advertise an item, through Sponsorship, Highlighted Items, using your own WDC handle or billboard, or getting the winner's port featured in a reviewing activity. Most writers entering contests would love having more exposure for their work.
A combination of these prizes is also a great idea. When creating your next contest, keep unique prizes in mind! They may help you attract more contestants! 
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A few contests that offer unique prizes other than gift points:
A few contests accepting work written in the Horror/Scary genre:
Some groups for the upcoming NaNoWriMo craziness:
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
Don't forget to support our sponsor!
| ASIN: 1945043032 |
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Amazon's Price: $ 13.94
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My last newsletter gave advice on writing after the contest, and I received some varied feedback on that topic.
Spidey, thank you so much for featuring my interactive "Pay It Forward" [ASR] in this week's newsletter. I had no idea it was going to be featured. What an unexpected surprise! Thank you. ~ Shannon 
You're very welcome! I do generally try to let writers know ahead of time that I'm featuring their item, but I ran out of time last month. I'm glad you were pleasantly surprised.
Thank you for the article "Writing After The Contest",as your suggestions are helpful to me.
You did a fine job with the article and my writing needs some help, I have writer's block. ~ misskittynoe
You're welcome, and I'm very glad you found my suggestions helpful!
Hey there, Spidey! You made some good points in your newsletter. Thank you for highlighting my contest ~ Lexi 
You're very welcome! Thanks for hosting your contest!
I always enjoy your newsletters! ~ bookworm243
Thanks so much! I'm glad to have appreciative readers!
Did I miss the contest part of this newsletter? An enquiring mind wants to know. Thanks. ~ Rixfarmgirl 
Thanks for your feedback. I do appreciate it! I have to say, though, I'm perplexed about your question. Am I correct in inferring that you are stating I didn't address contests in my newsletter?
From my standpoint, the newsletter addressed contests. Writing.Com is primarily a place to get feedback about and to focus on writing. The Contest & Activity Newsletter focuses generally on contests and activities from two standpoints: 1. Addressing contest/activity hosts; 2. Addressing contest/activity entrants. I feel my last newsletter addressed the second group, contest entrants. I gave suggestions for improving writing after a contest is completed, and I did include several contests in my editor's picks. I do feel it focused on contests, but I value your opinion and feedback. Thanks.
Question to think about: How can you improve your writing after the contest is over?
I think one thing that can happen with prompted writing is that getting the prompt in to meet the rules puts a bit of distortion in the piece. After the contest, if you rewrite the piece to remove the distortion, there's often a significant improvement. Plus, rewriting is one of the fastest ways to build your skills. If keeping the original version is important to you, the new wml hide code allows you to keep the original version from the contest in the same item, item size permitting, should it ever be needed.
Northernwrites ~ northernwrites
A great thought, and some great advice! Thanks!!
Question to think about: What is your favorite type of prize? What kind of prize attracts you to a contest?
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| ASIN: 0910355479 |
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Amazon's Price: $ 13.99
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Contests & Activities: October 08, 2008 Issue [#2644]
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