Competitions that are a game of chance (like a lottery) are easy to enter. You simply provide some basic contest details, maybe answer a question and subscribe to a newsletter or social media page. Game of Skill competitions however are a bit more complicated and require some creative thought. The most common form of skill competition is to submit a response “In 25 Words or Less”. See the below tips or visit our previous competitions guide article.
Competitions Guide – 3 Tips for Game of Skill Entries
1) Be Creative
If you are entering a competition you would really to win, chances are that are a lot of other people too. So from the outset you need to be thinking creatively. Thats the best guide for entering game of skill competitions. If there is only one winner chosen from the hundreds or thousands of entries then yours needs to seriously stand out from the rest. While it is important to be creative always try to incorporate the company, brand or product that is sponsoring the competition into your answer. Depending on the brand or product, the use of humour is also encouraged.
2) Work in Groups
Two heads are better than one. You can either work collectively to come up with some great responses and submit one per individual. And if one is a winner then you can in advance work out a way to share the prize. Alternatively if you want to submit your own response, you will have a great sounding board to share your drafts with. Your group partners can give you honest feedback after considering your answer as if they were the prize competition judge.
3) Draft lots of entries. Select the best one.
Sometimes the first response you prepare may be your best. Other times it may be your last response that has taken many hours and revisions to prepare. In order to keep the mind flowing and not get stuck on one answer, try create a whole series of responses. At the end you can decide which answer you think will have the best chance of winning. Other times you might see a great idea in one response and combine it with another.
Get Creative and Good luck!