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Besides writing and publishing their books, authors feel empowered and find more purpose in joining and winning writing contests.
Not every author may go through this phase. But more than half of them have benefited from these competitions. Beyond the reputation they’ll gain within the community, authors also have their morale and self-esteem boosted when they win writing contests.
Several factors measure authors’ success, and reputation is one of those. Authors may desire to sell many books until they become one of the most renowned authors. But it can’t be denied that everyone starts somewhere. Some begin by publishing in local communities, their books making it around a small group of friends and families—most start by joining local competitions.
What Are the Benefits of Joining a Writing Contest?
More and more of these are popping up annually—one reason is their popularity. Every writer desires to be known. With their careers and passions banked on visibility, everyone wants to be seen, and one way to do so is to join and win writing contests.
Author Jill S. Flateland is among those who benefited from these events when she became a Colorado Gold Content 2014 finalist author.
It may not have been a prestigious competition, and she didn’t finish in a significant position, but Jill doesn’t deny the multitude of learnings she reaped throughout the process. She had many reasons for joining, one of which was to win. She became a finalist and benefited greatly from the experience.

Enhance Writing Abilities
Big or small, writing competitions are competitions. They gather several writers from different backgrounds with different experiences and strengths to compete with one another. Upfront, these may seem like they only compare authors of different niches. But primarily, they encourage writers to go beyond their limits and unlock their potential. Everyone knows they’re competing against someone better. Hence, they strive to polish their skills to win writing contests.
Build Confidence
Whether they’ve won, authors who join writing competitions build their confidence. Writing can be a rather isolating passion. By joining these competitions and attempting to beat them, writers step outside their comfort zones and aim better than satisfying themselves. Not to mention, whether they lose or win writing contests, writers receive feedback that can be valuable to their confidence.
Hence, beyond becoming a shiny bullet point in their resumes, writing contests are inarguably beneficial to writers. They’re a massive sign helping them feel at ease in their choices, a validation they’re on the right track. But they can also be 50/50. For writers sensitive to losing, it can be defeating not to win writing contests.
Fortunately, here are pointers to help leverage and hustle through the competition:
How Does One Win Writing Contests?

Regardless of what type of contest it is, writing is a subjective business. It can be more beneficial for writers to understand that whatever the result may be, the contest doesn’t truly and fully capture their talent. It can feel pretty awesome to win writing contests, but writers shouldn’t feel so defeated if they don’t. These judges may be credible, but their preferences aren’t reflective of the general public.
Perspective varies. But there is a secret ingredient to helping authors win writing contests.
Intentionality
As with everything else in life, intention matters.
If writers write with the right intention and convey the right messages, they can impress anyone. Intention determines what authors want to deliver and how impactful the delivery is. This intentionality helps readers understand the material alongside the author’s purpose in writing it. It helps them understand why it is written and where the author is going with it.
Intention holds everything together. It’s the glue that clarifies what’s essential in the material, fixes the writer’s mind as he crafts the piece, and helps spotlight it for readers to understand.
Writers shouldn’t only set their intention to win writing contests. Instead, they should focus on delivering a clear and meaningful message. Before joining the competition, they must already have their idea and message planned and organized. They should zero in on this thought so their entry matters not only for them but for the judge and readers enjoying the competition. Intentionality gives weight to writers’ entries and a purpose in joining the contest.
If you’re interested in how winning writers create their pieces, read Jill S. Flateland’s book and uncover how she delivers her craft.
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