As an aspiring writer or a college student who just wants to express yourself, you may want to consider entering essay competitions. Writing essays can be an enjoyable way for you to unleash your creativity while earning some money in the process.
Of course, you have to know how to write a winning essay, which topics to write about, and which essay competitions to join. Since there are many competitions, finding the right one can take time.
Go through the rules of the essay competition
If you want to enter (and win) an essay competition, you must first know the rules. Each competition has its own rules and finding these out helps you determine if you’re qualified to join or not.
You must go through all of the details such as the start and close dates, the number of entries you can submit, the required word count, the theme of the contest, the criteria for judging, and other important information.
If the contest you’re interested in has too many guidelines, you should print everything out. That way, you can keep going back to your printout as a reference while you’re writing. Once you’re familiar with the rules and guidelines, proceed to the next step.
Of course, you should also make sure that the essay you submit is properly formatted, neat, and easy to read. You may find formatting guidelines too and if you do, make sure to follow them. You may even look to see if a service like essaypro review is a good choice. Finally, before you submit, proofread everything to check for mistakes.
Know who your audience is
Before writing your essay or thinking of a topic for it, you should find out who you’re writing for. Do this to make your essay more appealing to the readers like the judges who will pick the winners of the competition.
If you plan to join different competitions, never submit the same essay. Write original essays for each competition even if they have a similar theme or topic. Remember, the essay you write will be your chance to show off your writing skills.
Come up with ideas for your essay
Essays aren’t just beneficial for your creativity, but they offer other advantages too. For instance, learning how to write killer essays and honing your skills through essay competitions can even give you an edge when applying for international research scholarships.
The next step is to have a brainstorming session. The good thing about contests is that they often have a theme, which narrows down your options. Think about the theme of the essay and come up with a topic that you are most interested in within that theme. Choose a topic that you’re comfortable with, something that sparks your interest.
Although you can also choose to challenge yourself by choosing a difficult topic, this might hurt your chances of winning. If you really want to challenge yourself, pick two topics, write two essays, and then submit the better one!
Look at sample essays
If you’re finding it difficult to write an essay or you’re struggling to come up with ideas, you can find free essay samples through a reliable essay resource. From college essays to essays on different topics, there are many for you to read. For the list of modest proposal examples, visit Samplius. com. By going through sample essays, you can find inspiration to write your own. Of course, you also have the option to order essays from a writing service, but you cannot submit them for competitions.
Examples of essay competitions
When you feel like you’re ready to start joining competitions, you can search for options online. There are so many competitions for writing essays, short stories, fiction, non-fiction, and more.
Before thinking of a topic for your essay, you must first find out which competition you will join. To get things going for you, here are some examples you may consider:
- Bennington College Young Writers Awards
Students from all over the world can submit their original written work in poetry, fiction, and essays (non-fiction). The organizers of this competition will only accept original written work. This competition will end on the 1st of November 2021.
- Nowhere Magazine Spring 2021 Travel Writing Contest
This competition comes out two times a year for travel-specific essays, poems, or other non-fiction pieces. You can submit either unpublished or published written works that have never won other competitions in the past. This competition will end on the 30th of June 2021.
- Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize
The editors of Greywolf Press are always on the lookout for high-quality written works that have a unique vision and voice. Every year, they publish original works like essays, memoirs, novels, short stories, and more. This competition will start in 2022.
- International Essay Contest for Young People
This is a themed essay competition that happens every year and it’s meant to harness the creativity, initiative, and energy of the youth around the world. This competition has two categories and you can even use different languages. You can check their website to find out the theme for 2021.
Submitting your work to essay competitions in 2021 will make your college life more interesting. Also, as an aspiring writer, you can hone your skills by writing about different topics while competing against other writers.
