I spotted this link over at the SFReader forums posted by Andre L. West which inspired me to write about potentially fake or scam writing contests.
How can you spot a fake contest?
- They don’t post the previous winners.
Dream Quest One does post its previous winners, and indeed any contest, legitimate or otherwise will be able to post previous winners so long as they’ve been running for a while, so this is not of particular importance, but still the first thing you should check.
- They post previous winning entries, but they are of extremely low quality.
Dream Quest One’s previous 1st place winner is posted here. I’ll let you judge the story’s quality on your own, but since this contest claims (from the SFReader link) to attract 400-500 entries per quarter, it’s surprising that a better written story could not be found.
- The previous winners have no web profile.
This is possible, but is it probable in today’s day and age? None of Dream Quest One’s previous winners has a significant web presence. My own web presence is paltry, but at least I have one. So does nearly every writer I know. This is a clearly a red flag.
- The editor/contest organizer has no web presence other than the contest.
Scammers tend not to want their real names associated with a bogus contest, and so develop only a very thin web alias to take responsibility. A Google search of Andre L West reveals dozens of links having to do with the contest, but almost nothing else. Again, not definitive, but certainly a red flag.
- They charge a fee.
This one is a little more problematic. Legitimate contests also charge fees (with Writers of the Future, with no fee, being the notable exception) . Often these fees are for fundraising purposes and go to support the magazine. I have absolutely no problem with this, and in fact, EDF will be launching its own fee charging contest soon (with all proceeds going to raise our payment rates).
However.
A key thing here is to look at a contest fees vs prize payouts. The top fiction prize at Dream Quest One is $500 (for poetry, it’s an even lower $250), whereas the entry fee is $10 USD. Seems about right, doesn’t it? Except that if they attract, as advertised, 400-500 entries, then they are pulling in $4-5000. For a payout of $1275. Where does the extra 3K go? There’s no magazine or other charitable cause attached to the contest. Mr. West claims it goes to administration, which means the fees for administering the contest are a staggering 75% of gross.
- They pay their judges.
Again, thorny. It’s common for even legitimate contest to offer a stipend (we plan to for the EDF contest). However, you also get big names and advertise the heck out of them. You’re paying them to attach their name to your contest. If they have no name to speak of, what are you paying for? Slush reader is a volunteer position after all.
- The contest doesn’t normally publish fiction.
SFReader has a contest that asks for publication rights when they don’t normally publish fiction. However, SFReader is a huge, thriving site where it’s likely your work will get seen. Same thing for Writers Digest. Dream Quest One appears to exist solely to support the contest. Sure they publish your work there, but who is going to be reading your work? Other contest entrants. Period.
So what is my conclusion regarding whether or not Dream Quest One is a scam writing contest? From the points above, it’s hard to say. There are lots of red flags, but instead of being a scam, it could simply be poorly thought out and incompetently administered. Either way, you won’t see me shelling out money to enter.