If you’re a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA), you’ve probably seen notices for the myriad RWA chapter contests that are offered throughout the year. Perhaps you’ve even thought about entering a few. But where to begin? What’s the point of a contest? Which one(s) should you enter?

For those who might be scratching your heads because you’re new to the romance scene, we’ll start from the top.

What are RWA chapter contests and how do they work?

Romance Writers of America is a “nonprofit trade association whose mission is to advance the professional and common business interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy and by increasing public awareness of the romance genre.” In other words, it’s the national professional organization for people who write romance, aka, works with a central love story and a happy ending.

Each year, RWA holds the national Golden Heart contest—essentially the Oscars for unpublished romance writers. But what if you’re not quite ready for the Golden Heart? Or what if it’s February and you missed the Golden Heart’s January deadline?

There are many RWA special interest and local chapters. Examples of local chapters include Northeast Ohio RWA, Chicago-North RWA, or Portland RWA. Special interest chapters are online groups that share an interest in the same sub-topic or sub-genre such as Kiss of Death (romantic suspense), Rainbow Romance Writers (LBGTQ), or Hearts Through History Romance Writers (historical romance).

Most local and special interest chapters hold their own contests, either for published or unpublished writers. Here’s the way these contests usually work: you submit an entry form, a fee, and an excerpt of your manuscript. Excerpts can range in length from 5 to 55 pages or from 3,000 to 10,000 words; each contest is different. Entries are typically split into categories based on sub-genre (Contemporary, Young Adult, Fantasy/Paranormal, etc). Each entry is judged by 2-3 trained or experienced judges (usually members of that chapter), PAN and/or PRO members.

First round judges typically use a scoresheet with categories and numerical values, and all contests encourage judges to leave substantive feedback either on the scoresheet or within the manuscript itself. From there, entries in each category are ranked based on scores from first round judges, and the top few (usually 3-5) are sent to a final round judge(s) to be ranked. Final round judges are typically acquiring editors or literary agents.

Why should I enter a RWA chapter contest?

There are many reasons to enter your work in a contest:

• Receive objective feedback on a work-in-progress
• See how your work “ranks” compared to other aspiring authors
• Get your work in front of an acquiring editor or agent who may (or may not) request your manuscript
• Use a chapter contest as a “test run” for the Golden Heart
• Gain notoriety from contest wins
• Win fabulous prizes
• Enjoy that rush of pulling the handle and seeing if you win the jackpot…weeeee!

What’s the downside?

Contests aren’t necessarily all sunshine and rainbows. Here are some reasons why people DON’T enter writing contests:

• You can get feedback from critique partners for free.
• There’s no guarantee you’ll receive constructive feedback. All contests encourage their judges to offer specific feedback, but it doesn’t mean they will.
• Some judges are better than others. Some judges are awful. And some are plain rude.
• You can receive conflicting feedback from judges, which isn’t merely unhelpful, it can be confusing.
• The people who read your submission aren’t necessarily the people who would buy your book.
• There’s no guarantee that agents or editors will want to read your full manuscript even if you final.
• Winning a contest doesn’t carry weight with readers; it can be a feather in your cap in a query to an agent or editor but ultimately your writing is what sells, not contest wins.

It’s important before you enter contests to appreciate them for what they will and won’t do and make your decision accordingly.

I’m going for it. Which contest(s) should I enter?

It all depends on what you want to get out of it. In my experience, people tend to fall in one of two categories for why they enter contests: 1) those who need/want the critical feedback in order to improve their manuscript and 2) those whose manuscript is more or less polished and are looking for contest finals to boost their chances at publication.

If you’re looking for feedback but aren’t confident you’ll final, you may benefit more from a contest that offers 3 first round judges instead of 2, and judges that are published authors or PAN members.

If you think your manuscript is good enough to final, then it becomes all about the final round judges. Reputable contests will list the final judges in advance; see if there are any agents or editors judging who you think would be interested in your work. Note: some contests have final round judges that are editors for lines that don’t accept unsolicited manuscripts, i.e., the only way you’ll get your work in front of this editor is through an agent or a contest (Berkley and Grand Central Publishing are two examples). These are golden opportunities! If you think you stand a decent chance at finaling, you should enter!

Other things to consider when choosing a contest: page counts, fees, and scoresheets. Maybe you really want feedback on that scene starting on page 30…so it wouldn’t do you any good to enter a contest that caps entries at 15 pages. Take a look at fees too; some contests may suit your budget better than others. I also recommend checking to see whether a contest you’re interested in posts a sample scoresheet online. That way you can see precisely how your entry will be judged. Otherwise, it’s a shot in the dark.

Still not sure which contest to enter? Compare and contrast RWA chapter contests with my handy dandy chart!

Click on the link below to download my RWA Chapter Contest Chart. All contests listed are for unpublished authors. The chart includes chapter and contest name, entry fee, deadline month, submission criteria, number of first round judges, whether feedback includes a scoresheet, type of final round judges, whether the contest drops entrants’ lowest score to calculate finalists, whether finalists have an opportunity to revise their entry before it’s sent to final round judges, and other miscellaneous tidbits.

RWA Chapter Contests Chart

Disclaimer: this chart is not a complete representation of all RWA chapter contests in existence, only a selection. To the best of my knowledge, all information is accurate as of 8/21/16, but don’t take my word for it! This chart is FYI only. Before entering any contest, you should check the contest’s website for the most current, accurate information and carefully read all rules before entering.

If your chapter’s contest is not included, but you’d like it to be, please drop me a line using the Contact page and I’ll add it at my earliest convenience.

Some notes about the chart:

• Entry fees listed are for writers who are RWA members, but not members of that particular chapter. Some contests offer “early bird” discounts or reduced fees for chapter members.
• For “Final Round Judges” I only counted contests that have agents and/or editors rank finalists and choose winners. Some contests only send the 1st place manuscripts, which have been ranked in the preliminary round, to agents/editors to judge against each other for a grand prize. Some send the top 3 in each category to editors and agents to read but not judge.
• I have not addressed contest prestige. Some contests have better reputations than others. I recommend asking around your local chapters to ascertain which contests are respected in the industry, are well run, and offer constructive feedback.
• The chart does not include special interest chapter contests such as Kiss of Death’s Daphne Contest.
• Many contests strive to include as many published authors as judges as possible. Their rules may state that each entry is judged by trained judges or at least one published author, but in many cases they try their best to have entries judged by multiple published authors.

*General Contest Caveat* Many non-RWA writing contests out there are scams! Run away screaming if a contest ever requires you to sign the rights to your work away in order to enter. Also beware of contests that charge steep fees. RWA chapter contest fees can be as high as $35, but keep in mind that these contests are a legitimate and crucial fundraising vehicle for local chapters. Outside of romance that may not be the case, so watch out.

Have you entered a RWA chapter contest? Post your favorite contest in the comments and tell us why!