How to determine legitimate contests from money grabs?

I made a mistake of recommending that my dear friend enter a writing contest that looked legitimate, but ended up being little more than a money grab. What are the red flags and issues should writers consider before entering a contest?

 

Writing contests can be hard to navigate. Entry fees aren't an automatic deal breaker but beware of high fees. Also, anything that offers you the opportunity to buy your work in print is probably after money.

 

I would have said that anything which asks you to pay or give up something... like all the rights to the piece you submit in perpetuity...are probably ones to avoid.

If the fine print is long, complicated and looks like an EULA, unless it's a well renown competition, it's unlikely to be worth it.

 

Yeah, if the fine print is long and complicated and you can't find anything about it from other sources, I'd say it's something you should avoid. Sorry to hear that happened to your friend though!

 

Thanks for the tips! I'll be more careful in the future before passing on contest information. She was chuffed that I thought she could win, but was disappointed when it turned into a money making scheme. Lesson learned.

 

Some contests have the entry fee to help cover processing and sometimes fund the prize; even Writer's Digest does this.

Kindler makes a valid point about rights thought.

 

The other thing to watch out for are competitions that require the winner to commit to spending a certyain amount - e.g. the winner agrees to cover all expenses for a contest victory tour or pay x thousands for promotional expenses.

I couldn't believe it the first time I saw one of those.

 

"...congratulations on winning - now you get to pay for your print run..."