If you want to become a better writer and eventually get published, you should join a writing contest. Here’s why: writing contests are one of the best ways to practice your writing (and as I’m sure you can imagine, we’re pretty obsessed with writing contests over here). Even better, at the end of this post, I’ll tell you about a new writing contest you definitely will want to be a part of.

The Magic of Writing Contests

If you’re anything like me, when you see the word “contest,” you want to win. Isn’t that what we’d all love? To win every contest we enter.

And here at The Write Practice, we put together some amazing prize packages to make winning the Spring Writing Contest a sweet victory. The grand prize winner will receive a year of membership to Becoming Writer, our premium writing community. They’ll also receive a cash prize of $300.

Best of all, they won’t simply be featured on the front page of Short Fiction Break: they’ll be invited to become a monthly contributor to the literary magazine.

But as amazing as all that sounds, you might read it with some hesitation. Because here’s the thing: you know you might not win.

Knowing that you didn’t win — that the judges didn’t choose your story — that they read one, ten, or a hundred stories that they considered “better” than yours — well, I’ll be honest. It’s disappointing. It hurts.

(I know, because I’ve lost writing contests before . . . and then lost them again.)

The thing is, though, I believe winning a prize is not the best thing you can get in a writing contest.

The best thing you can get in a writing contest is practice. And not just any practice: disciplined, focused practice, with the feedback you need to grow as a writer.

How This Writing Contest Will Help You Grow

Because practice is essential for writers, we’ve built our writing contests from the ground up to help you grow. Here are a few of the features you’ll find in this contest, and all the contests we host:

You’ll start with a prompt. The best practice happens when you challenge yourself to write something new. We’ve put together a prompt that will inspire you to write an amazing story.

Deadlines will keep you on track. It’s easy to want to practice writing, but never actually do it. The contest deadlines will hold you accountable to finish your first draft, and later, submit your story to the judges.

Feedback will help you write your best story. Feedback is essential to grow in any skill, and writing is no different. You need supportive, challenging, insightful writers to share with you what’s working and what’s not in your story. Our community of writers will help you polish your story into something you’re proud of — and you’ll help them, too!

Your story will be published. You’ve worked hard to write an amazing story, and we want it to get the recognition it deserves. Every story entered in the contest will be published, whether it wins or not. (And if that’s not exciting to you, don’t worry: you’ll have the opportunity to opt out of publishing if you’d prefer.)

You can get feedback directly from the judges. Want a professional opinion on why your story did or didn’t win? Sign up with a premium entry, and you’ll get personalized feedback directly from the judges after the contest. More on why this is an amazing opportunity below!

And did we mention prizes? You already know what the grand prize winner will receive. There are more prizes for the runners up and honorable mentions, too!

And in addition to all that, in each contest, we add something special to make this a fun and unique experience.

Story Grid: The Best Part of This Contest

Our Spring Writing Contest is truly something special. This time, we’re doing something we’ve never done before: we’re partnering with Story Grid and a team of Story Grid Certified Editors to give you an unparalleled opportunity to grow.

If you’ve heard of Story Grid, you know what an amazing resource it is for writers. Here’s why this is exciting for you:

First, because Shawn Coyne knows his stuff. He’s an editor with twenty-five years of experience in both traditional publishing houses and independent publishing. He wrote the book The Story Grid to help writers develop their craft. The system he teaches in The Story Grid is the one he developed through his career as an editor and has used to turn manuscripts into bestsellers.

Second, because you’ll get a copy of The Story Grid when you enter. This is an incredible deal: The Story Grid is normally $35, but when you enter this contest, you’ll get your copy for free. That’s more than the entry fee for this contest, and that’s not even counting all the other bonus resources you’ll get when you enter.

Third, because you’ll get to apply The Story Grid right away. We’ve picked a prompt that’s perfect for practicing Story Grid principles. Throughout the next month, you’ll get to write a story and workshop it in our community, using The Story Grid to troubleshoot problems along the way. And it doesn’t end when the contest is over: you can continue to learn from Shawn Coyne’s wisdom, using The Story Grid to help you write the stories and books you begin next.

Fourth, because certified Story Grid editors will judge your story. We’ve asked a team of professional book editors to judge this contest. Shawn Coyne trained them himself in Story Grid principles, and they’re bringing their vast story wisdom to this contest. When you sign up for judges’ feedback, you’ll get expert critique from these sought-after editors.

This contest is so much more than simply an opportunity to win. It’s like a mini-writing course, complete with course materials, community feedback, and expert critique.

My Promise to You

We all want to win writing contests. But of the hundreds of writers who enter this contest, only a few will win a prize.

Maybe you’ll be one of them! Maybe not, though.

I can’t promise that you’ll win this contest. But if you enter, write a story, and submit it to the judges, I can promise something better.

You’ll have written a story you’re proud of. You’ll have feedback on what’s working in your writing, and what you can practice moving forward. If you sign up for judges’ feedback, you’ll have expert critique from professional editors.

You’ll even have your own copy of The Story Grid to help you plan and edit this story, and the next one you write, and the one after that.

And you’ll have a publishing credit, a story published on Short Fiction Break where you can point your readers and build your audience.

And really, if you’re becoming a better writer and growing in your craft, I’d call that winning.

Have you entered a writing contest before? What was your favorite part of it? Let us know in the comments.