  Contests & Activities
This week: Imitation Edited by: spidey  
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Welcome to the Contests & Activities Newsletter. I'm spidey , and I'm your Editor this week!
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Imitation or Coincidence?
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery (an aphorism coined by Charles Caleb Colton), but sometimes it can feel the opposite. So what do you do if you find another contest with the same theme/prompt as yours? Well, you have several options:
 Don't assume. You know what they say about assuming!  Lots of people have great ideas simultaneously. Great minds think alike, right? It could absolutely just be a coincidence. It could also be that someone was inspired by your idea, or even that you were inspired by theirs! Either way, it's not usually a good idea to go on the offensive. No one has a copyright on contest ideas!
Join forces! If you're both interested in the same idea, it might be a great idea to offer to co-host or co-judge! I know from experience that hosting can take up a lot of time, and it may be a lot easier on each party to help each other by co-hosting!
Change your contest. Adjust the rules or the prize or the prompt to make it different. Make your contest stand out or appear more attractive to participants. Or don't! Run the contests simultaneously. Nothing wrong with that, either! You may end up getting the same entries, though.
On the other side of this issue, if you run into a contest that inspires one of your own, be careful not to step on the toes of the original contest. Sure, it's not technically copyright infringement, but it's also a good idea to give credit where it's due! Email the host and check if they're okay with your idea which was inspired by theirs, and possibly include a link to their contest when creating yours. In my experience, you've got nothing to lose by being kind! 
My point is, don't get upset. Things like this happen from time to time, and it's not usually a good idea to jump to conclusions. Writing.com is a friendly community, and most of us like to work together to create a great online environment for writers.
(For more on Copyrights, Click here and for Writing.Com's Copyright policy, Click here
Always, keep on writing!
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Contests:
Items Submitted by Writing.Com Members:
Official Writing.Com Contests:
Contests/Activities:
Know of some gems that deserve exposure? Submit them in the feedback form or submission form at the end of this Newsletter, and I'll put them in my next one!
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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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My last newsletter, ("Contests & Activities Newsletter (March 19, 2014)" ), discussed spicing things up for Spring!
I appreciate the time and energy you have taken to put all this information together. Makes it a lot easier when you have so many activities and contests all in one place. HUGE THANKS!
~ Angel_Eyes 
Thank you! 
Thank you so much for this newsletter! You offer such great information for finding a contest and creating one.
~ PandaPaws Licensed VetTech 
Thanks!!
I love spring, except for those drafted allergies. My goals are to write more, review more, and reorganize my port as well as entering some contests again. Thanks for the awesome article! ~ alysia
Sounds great!!
Great newsletter, Spidey! I've been thinking about cleaning up my portfolio for quite some time, but wasn't sure where to start. This will definitely help when I hit the end of a dirt road. Thanks! ~ Gaby 
Great idea! I've seen some really interesting and creative ideas for organizing portfolios! I think there was even a contest for it once! Good luck!
Questions to think about:
Have you ever run into a contest that was similar to yours? What did you do? What would you do? |
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Contests & Activities: April 16, 2014 Issue [#6267]
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