Story Contest Scam: What Would You Do?

Came here from the updated article just to get the whole gist, but yup 100% would have hit them up and sought clarification. I’ve paid for feedback once or twice, and it’s been decent and personalised. I’d be livid if I got generic feedback plus comments on a winning entry😂

Contests are not scams in general. Most of them are out on by small presses, small publishers, writers groups, magazines, or universities, and gave been around for years, decades even. The problem is the competition of more than 5,000 people sending in entries and I totally sympathize with you. Most poetry publishers require previous poems to be published in a magazine or journal before, and those run contests to get published in them...and they wonder why poetry sales are down. That's why there is less available. Just really check out who is running the contest.

Have you paid for feedback and received it in the past, LC? I have never entered a writing contest that offered it before. I have received offers - not cheap mind you - for writing workshops that offer to work with writers and provide mentoring and feedback. But the fine print typically warns that feedback is not offered on contests. The fact that they have changed the language on their site from what you read suggests they have already received complaints. If you feel cheated, even if a small amount, you owe it to yourself to complain as well. But I don’t think they’ll provide you viable feedback in any event. You’re an exceptional writer and storyteller as anyone who reads your work already knows. The reasons for sometimes placing and sometimes not are too subjective to be useful to you in any event. To get truly useful feedback you would need to enter a master’s writing platform or form a mentee mentor relationship with an established writer.

Honestly... I would write a review/ email them and let them know you're unsatisfied. You are a thorough reader and if you remember the advertisement being different than it currently is, then theres a chance that they changed it because other people are dissatisfied! 🤷‍♀️ Are you able/ willing to ask for a refund?

Yeah, that's not okay. Tell them, at least.

I'd definitely want the feedback to be about my piece. So yea, I feel you should contact them. Make a hugeeeee deal out of it and make sure you get a refund

I would be disappointed as well and probably less polite about it. :) I don't think expecting what you paid for is being a Karen, but you also have to choose which battles are worth engaging in for you personally. If there is evidence of the change in entry rules (I like the suggestion of checking the Wayback Machine), then it may be worth pursuing. As others have mentioned, I doubt you're the only one disappointed at this point. If there's no hard evidence, then leaving a review somewhere seems like a less time-intensive but still useful option to help out future writers. Sorry you're dealing with these shenanigans!

Hey there L.C. I can completely understand the need to get proper feedback. It's the only way to improve. I entered something similar and got through the first two rounds and then the story was kicked out. The judges feedback (that I also paid for) was super lame. I could have got a better response from my 8 year old nephew: "Is there much more Aunty Caroline, only my programme's starting in a minute." Harsh but fair! Anyway.. gosh, this was more longwinded than I intended (clearly my nephew has a point?) I probably would drop them a nice note and say that you'd have preferred more detailed and personalized feedback as that's what you were paying for. I wouldn't ask for a refund. Also - good luck in other competitions.

Should they have lived up to their word? Absolutely. Will they now? Unfortunately, probably not. As sad as it is for me to say, most organizations are not Exemplary anymore. You could reach out if you wanted, but there's not going to be a guarantee, especially if you can't pull a receipt or documentation on what was originally paid for. At the very least, if you feel they are not going to be an honest organization and change things like that, I would stop putting money into them. It just incentivizes them to keep doing it. If you want, follow the advice of leaving a bad review somewhere - if they are dishonest others should know so they do not fall to it. Sometimes being honest like that also leads to others standing up, and sometimes organizations react by fixing their act up (which may be a way to get what you originally ordered). Still wouldn't trust them even if they fixed up their act, but at least it becomes a lesson for them to behave better in the future.

Honestly? I'm too overwhelmed with other stuff, I wouldn't follow it up, but I'd review it badly somewhere.

I just don't trust ones with fees

Zines, literary journals, and many of the old publishing avenues are scrambling to stay afloat in the digital age, as they are run like businesses. There's always been contests but now everyone wants to charge a reading fee and whatnot, and don't we pay a subscription here? So I guess it's fair. But, ultimately, their judgment as to what comprises true art will never be any better than the man or woman on the street, and "uneducated" folks like Edgar Allen Poe, Emily Dickinson, and Charles Bukowski--just to name a few--prove it again and again when they just show up and create something more profound than all the university-trained professors, who try really hard never to let us forget how technically incorrect the work of genius is, despite the fact that very few of those critics ever produced anything half as good, let alone innovated entire genres or cultures or ways of thinking. As for your work, it's already brilliant. My pointer: keep on truckin' and don't let the who's who tell you what to do. I won't blame you for exercising more tact than Poe (or myself, for that matter), but let's face it, he's a literary immortal, and none of his critics are household names, because he was a true artist, an outstanding individual, neither a leader nor a follower. *deep breath* Sorry you have to deal with this sort of chicanery, but I can't say it surprises me...

I have completely lost faith in entering contests, although I still do because I'm a gambler at heart. I have no expectations. I have no hopes. I just do it because I am addicted to the thrill of losing money.

From what you wrote I do not believe thus falls into the ‘scam’ category so much as poor run business. Scam would not have contacted you at all. However when they changed the original wording it appears you are not alone, others must have voiced their concerns. I well written letter to the company asking for clarification and perhaps offering them a graceful way to repair the damage, such as instead please put that money as a credit towards my next entries. ( because you clearly did not receive what you expected). companies have to be accountable, new or not. professionalism seems to have disappeared. If you do not get a satisfactory response then you decide if it is worth it or not to pursue. Hope this helps.

Just because I don't see it mentioned already: Have you checked to see if the page with the fine print is archived on the Wayback Machine? If it is, you'll at least be able to confirm what it said when you entered.

That's unfortunate, but most likely will be difficult to pursue to any satisfactory degree. There are far too many scams these days - it's all about the money.

Unfortunately, I'm not really sure how to address the main crux of your situation, which I suppose means I'd just let it be. Not saying you should do that, but if you plan to submit again to them in the future, best not to make a name for yourself in a way that may make them biased *against* you. Though, perhaps you're not planning to work with them again. Either way, a lot of journals/publishers claim that they talk to one another, so if this dispute turns into a battle, it may have unintended side effects when submitting elsewhere. The concrete feedback I can offer, though, is around submitting your piece elsewhere. A long time ago, I entered an Owl Canyon Hackathon that provided the opening paragraph as the prompt. I lost, then started submitting it elsewhere. Ironically enough, because I also paid for feedback, I was informed by the editor that they will see a lot of contest losers once the results are announced and that they had immediately picked up on my story's origin. They also proceeded to tear the story's premise and execution apart, ending with the coup de grace "I read the required X pages and saw no reason to continue," but I don't believe that was directly related (although perhaps the stigma of "contest loser" colored their reaction). So, if the contest is one where the first sentence/paragraph is provided or has some other "tell," worth changing that up before sending it elsewhere.

I would also be wondering WTF. In most cases, it won’t leave your mind until there is a better understanding or some type of resolution. They should be held accountable for what they promised. It’s easy to chalk something up to laziness if their offer was free, but when it’s a paid option it should have top priority. You paid for something but got nothing. We don’t even know if they actually read the story. Whether I felt like I was being a pest or not, I would contact them requesting answers about their process. Maybe it was something in the fine print that they can correctly explain. Whatever you do end up doing, if you are not satisfied with the results, write a review and make it sting! That might wake them up to properly contacting you to at least apologize for the negative experience. Hope there will be an update for this since I’m now intrigued, lol. Thank you for sharing.

Unfortunately, we're a set-up for such things. The fact that this is something very rare (for now) makes it even more likely to snare us. Like most things too-good-to-be-true with scammers, this will probably take off. I certainly targets a vulnerable audience who are desperate to get their writing published. What would I do? Post your experience everywhere--here, theprose.com, Medium, substack, etc. At the very least it's a cautionary tale. I would state the facts just like you did and NAME NAMES, PROVIDE THE LINK, AND NAME THE JUDGES. If it's a factual rendering of what happened, no one can hurt you. (Avoid things like calling it a scam. The reader will get it, I promise.) But if judges who are otherwise legitimate see their names thrown out as associated with something that is disappointing at best and dishonest at worst, they'll bail. Also, there are several writers' sites that list bad agents, etc. You can post there as well. Don't let the bastards win! It's not about the $5. They've ripped ALL OF US off!

You need to ask the question about the feedback. If you thought you were getting some that was specific, you need to raise it with them. No harm in asking. Good for you for branching out too and trying your arm elsewhere. Respect.

I relate to your disappointment. In what you wrote above, it does sound genuinely misleading. I would feel slighted. I do think, as I often can get very wrapped up in my head about the why's and why not's of challenges conclusions, (and writing in general with lack of feedback even on Vocal), that it's important to address them without any expectations and chalk it up as their loss. Send your story to another publisher or journal. Be mindful that you are an excellent writer, there is a place for you, just not with them. I stopped waiting for wins, why? I would stop writing completely if I let the lack of recognition drag me down. I crave it, but I think most writer's know the feeling of wanting to throw in the towel, then picking themselves up (off the bar room floor so to speak) and getting back to what we do eventually. I truly wish you resolve and solace.

One of the problems is if you pay for anything then you expect to get what you paid for. If you don't and it's not a lot of money, you have to weigh up the cost of your time pursuing the "lost money" . May times I have thought it's cheaper to not pursue this that pursue the principle. Maybe an email an dif you get nothing leave it at that.

Interesting dilemma there, LC. I can't say that I've ever entered a writing contest outside of Vocal before, but I'm always leery of having to pay for anything. Affectionately called a skinflint by most people I know. As for what you should do, I'm afraid I can't say with certainty. However, I do think that you should try and get feedback if at all possible. Perhaps sending an email to the organization wherein you say something like "When I submitted to this contest, I understood that, if I paid the additional cost, I would receive judges feedback on my submission. Instead, I have only received generic writing tips and advice, plus some commentary on the winning entry. Would it be possible to receive feedback on my entry?" But I don't know if this will work. Sorry you've had to put up with such tomfoolery!

Yes, if I had paid for feedback on my specific piece, I would be annoyed with receiving what you did. Yes, I would include my disappointment with such in the cancelation email. I wouldn't necessarily expect to receive a satisfactory response though. I expect any feedback they give now would be disingenuous or lazy at best.

Sorry you got “scammed”. I would feel the same as you. I would be tempted to call them out on the slight, although with little expectation the issue would be addressed. Once the issue is not resolved, I would announce the name of the site.