CONTESTS

CONTESTS AND OPPORTUNITIES Before you enter any contest or activity, ALWAYS get permission from your parents first! Also, you should never have to pay to enter your work in a contest. There are plenty of contests that are sponsored by reputable sources that do not charge an entrance fee.

For example, some publishers will allow you to pay a fee to guarantee that your work will be published. This is sort of like paying $100 to someone really cool who promises to be your BFF for a year if you'll just pay the money. Even though you're guaranteed to have a really cool friend, you need to decide how you feel about paying for this relationship.

Some publishers require a small processing fee like $2 to help pay for the costs to read and publish work. You need to decide how you feel about paying a small fee for this service. To use the same example, if someone you met wanted to be your friend (for free), but in order to hang out with them you had to go to Eliches with them on Saturday, would you be willing to buy a ticket to see that person at Eliches? That's a decision you need to make in each situation.

The best option is to get your work published for free. There are many opportunities to submit your work without paying for it. This would be like having a friend who just likes you because you are incredible. No matter what you do, they want to hang out with you just because. :) Many companies want to publish work just because it's crafted with excellence.

OPPORTUNITIES

Rockey Mountain PBS Story Makers Writing Contest []