Literary Competition Tips and Advice

1. Always read the rules. Therein you will find everything you need to know about what is expected of you as an entrant. Don't comply at your peril.
2. Edit. It cannot be said often enough. You think you're finished. You're not. There's always a bit of fat to be trimmed. I know I'm finished when all I'm doing is moving the same punctuation mark back and forth. There is no more heartsinking feeling than seeing a spelling error in the first paragraph after you have clicked "submit".
3. If you write niche (horror, speculative...) seek out niche competitions. Often the entry rate is low so you'll stand a better chance if winning.
4. If there is a guest judge, read interviews they've done where they discuss the kind of work they like. Read the winners of other competitions they've judged. It's useful to bear in mind as you write but don't try to copy what they do. Write to your own strengths. Be mindful though that some competitions employ readers to get through the initial slew of entries and arrive at a longlist. In these competitions the guest judge then takes over and picks the shortlist and winners from that longlist. So there is always a chance that the piece you've tailored to the tastes of the guest judge might be tossed out by a reader before they even have a chance to consider it. In my opinion guest judges are ultimately a good thing though and they keep a competition fresh and current.
5. Some competitions offer each longlisted author publication in an anthology or online. This can be fantastic exposure and the buzz of being listed among other great authors in a popular anthology series is hard to beat. As an author you have to make the call. Mostly payment is only in the form of a free copy of the anthology. If you think your piece is good enough to win a different competition, hold on to it and submit elsewhere.
6. Let's talk entry fees. When they are higher than the norm, writers will often balk and sometimes justifiably so but it is worth remembering that high entry fees will mean fewer entries and a better chance of getting listed or even winning. Free to enter competitions will attract more entrants, unless they are relatively obscure and in that case they are worth entering because you have a greater chance of standing out.
7. Don't take not placing or winning to heart. It is a very subjective process. Persist and you will eventually prevail. I know of cases of rejected stories going on to win competitions. Ask any author, it happens all the time.
8. If you are entering a competition in a different country, take time check out previous winners through the years. If they are all from the country in which the competition is held, it probably isn't worth entering.
9. Unless a competition offers feedback, don't look for it. Some competitions offer advice for a slightly higher fee which can be worth availing of.
10. The judge's decision is final. Don't quibble. It's a small world you don't want to make a name for yourself as a sore loser.