Entry fee

From Guidevines

[edit] Entry Fee

Money required by a contest, anthology, etc., in order for the writer to participate with an entry.

Entry fees may be quite legitimate, all of them going to prizes, running expenses (photocopying, etc.), and things like hiring celebrity judges for the final rounds. They may also serve to provide funds for a group of writers, like an RWA chapter, to run special events throughout the year: bringing in guest speakers, renting facilities, printing a newsletter, and so on.

Less admirable are those contests and anthologies which exist solely to bring in entry fees for a profit to provide the hosts with a living. Do your research. How many entries does this contest have? Are prices commensurate with that many entry fees? Who runs it? Who judges? Are the anthologies actually appearing in your local bookstores and libraries, or are they vanity anthologies, where the only people likely to buy them are the poets in them?

Then, if you want to participate, you send in your entry fee with a clear mind, that you know what you are getting into, and you will not be disappointed.