  Contests & Activities
This week: Your Contest Page Edited by: NaNoNette  
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There was a day, last week or a decade ago, that you typed "writing" into your search engine. You wanted to show off some of your poems, short stories, or maybe even get feedback for a whole novel. You found Writing.com.
On this site, you found all that you searched for: Portfolio space, helpful reviewers, encouraging groups, style and grammar lessons from peers. Nothing prepared you for the amazing bounty of: Contests & Activities! |
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Your Contest Page
Create a contest page that is easy to understand for entrants.
When designing a contest, there is a certain amount of information that is absolutely necessary - or your contest won't work.
The preferred item type for a contest is the Message Forum. Also possible: In & Out or Survey. Static items are not so useful since it's hard to communicate. When you set up the item for the first time, decide whether it will reside in your main portfolio or in a folder that you keep for community activities. Make sure to give it the proper genre labels. Choose the main genre as the first option. Since you have three options, choosing Contest among them is always helpful.
Name Of Contest
Banner (image)
Paragraph giving a short description of the contest and the type of story, poem, or book you are interested in.
Beginning date & time. Ending date & time. Never omit these. Even if you think it's obvious - it's not obvious. Nobody wants to go searching in your portfolio for some "master item" that gives dates and times. Make this announcement on every contest page.
Word count or line count for poetry. Whether you have minimum word requirement or a maximum word requirement or both, you should announce those in the rules. Also, mention if you want the word count displayed in the item.
General Rules. Do you allow old stories that fulfill the prompt to be entered or not? Do you have limits on allowed entries regarding rating (E-XGC) or genres? Can an entrant have more than one entry for a round or only one? How much importance do you give typos when judging? Will you send a review for each entry? How many entries do you require to give out prizes?
Judges. If you are the only judge, you might not need to announce it. If you have other people judging along with you, let the entrants know who it is. It might attract more entries. Or fewer.
Prizes. Let the entrants know what is at stake. How much loot can they count on if they write the story or poem that hits the spot for you? Typically, there are three prizes (first, second, third), but you might allow for honorable mention/consolation prizes if you get many entries.
Quirks. If your contest is outside of the common "write for prompt" bracket, or requires several entries, make sure to have you rules explained. This is tricky. Too much information can be confusing. Too little information is also confusing. The more quirky your idea is, the more likely you are to have people make mistakes. If you see somebody is getting it wrong: tell them what they did wrong and then expect them to get it right from here on out. If you see a mistake, check you explanation of the contest to see if there is an area that could need more elaboration.
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#1930715 by Not Available. |
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#1974137 by ruwth  |
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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
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In response to my last newsletter "Newbie Contest and Activity Hosts" I got the following replies:
Rhonda  wrote: Thank you so very much for including two of my activities in your newsletter this month. It is nice to see so many members of the Paper Doll Gang represented here.
With Appreciation,
Rhonda
The Paper Doll Gang is a huge help to all newcomers to the site. It was my pleasure to feature you and the other active newbies. 
QueenOwl ~ A New Day Dawns  wrote: I'm a newbie. As such, I'm navigating, trying to find my way and and out of the maze. Please be patient with me when I bump into things where my curiosity takes me. Thank you, Editor.
Hello Newbie, I was once a newbie. Make sure to ask the right questions when you bump into interesting things. The strange things will soon be normal.
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Contests & Activities: February 12, 2014 Issue [#6141]
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