Essay contests are fantastic to enter, because the prizes are big, the odds are good, and

they feel
really great to win. Here are ten steps to follow to win essay contests.

1. Read the Essay Contest Rules

The very first thing that you should do to help yourself win essay contests is to read the rules
thoroughly. Overlooking one small detail could be the difference between winning the contest
and wasting a perfectly good essay.
Pay special attention to the entry and closing dates, the entry frequency, and the essay
requirements like word count, theme, and any other details the sponsor requires.
It might help you to print out the sweepstakes rules and highlight the most important elements, or
to write down notes and keep them close at hand.

2. Brainstorm Your Essay Ideas

Many people want to jump right in to writing their essay contest entries, but it's a better idea to
brainstorm several different ideas. Oftentimes, your first impulse isn't your best. Consider
different ways that you can make the contest theme personal, come at it from a different angle, or
stand out from all of the other contest entries.
Write all of your ideas down, and don't judge them yet. The more ideas you can come up with,
the better.

3. Select the Essay Idea that Best Fits the Theme and Sponsor
Once you've finished brainstorming, look over all of your ideas to pick the one you want to
develop for your essay contest entry.
When you're deciding, be sure to think about what might appeal to the essay contest's sponsor.
Do you have a way of working the sponsor's products into your essay? Does your subject matter
fit the sponsor's company image? An essay that might be perfect for a Budweiser contest might
fall completely flat when Disney is the sponsor.

4. Lead Your Essay with a Good Hook

When it's time to start writing your essay contest entry, remember that the first sentence is the
most important of all. If you can start with a powerful, intriguing, moving, or hilarious first
sentence, you'll hook your readers' interest and stick in their memory when it is time to pick
winners.
One of my favorite examples of how a good hook can influence judges is the story of how 200
Bananas Made a Woman Queen for a Day.

5. Write Your First Draft Essay

Now is the time to get all of your thoughts down. At this stage, it's not necessary for everything
to be perfectly polished, you're just setting down the bones of your final essay contest entry. Try
to hit the points you most want to communicate. If your essay is running longer than the word
count limit, don't worry about it at this stage.

6. Keep an Eye Out for "Red Mittens"

In her fantastic book, The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio, Terry Ryan talked about how her
mother used "Red Mittens" to help her be even more successful with contest entries.
To quote from the book:
"The purpose of the Red Mitten was almost self-explanatory -- it made an entry stand out from
the rest. In a basket of mittens, a red one will be noticed."
Among the Red Mitten tricks that Evelyn Ryan used were rhyme, alliteration, inner rhyme, puns,
and coined words.
While Evelyn Ryan mostly entered jingle and ad-type contests, the Red Mitten theory can be
used to make any essay contest entry stand out. Your Red Mitten might be a clever play on
words, a dash of humor, or a heart-tugging poignancy that sticks in the judges' minds.

7. Revise Your Essay for Flow and Organization

Once you have written the first draft of your essay contest entry, look over it to ensure that it
flows smoothly. Is your point well-made and clear? Does the essay flow smoothly from one
point to another? Do the transitions make sense? Does it sound good when you read it aloud?
This is also the time when you should cut out extraneous words and make sure that you've come
in under the word count limit.
In Stephen King's book, On Writing, the author talks about a rejection notice he once received
that read: "Formula for success: 2nd Draft = 1st Draft 10%." In other words, the first draft can
always use some trimming to make the best parts shine.
For more information, read Tips to Proofread Your Writing by About.com'sde to Grammar.

8. Put Your Contest Entry Aside

Now that you have a fairly polished first draft of your essay contest entry, put it aside and don't
look at it for a little while. If you have time before the contest ends, put your essay away for at
least a week. Let your mind mull over the idea subconsciously for a little while.
I can't tell you the number of times I've sent in an entry and then thought of something that I
should have added to make it perfect. Letting your entry simmer in your mind for a while gives
you the time to come up with these great ideas before it's too late.

9. Revise Your Essay Contest Entry Again

Now is the time to put the final polish on your essay contest entry. Have you said everything you
wanted to say? Have you made your point? Does the essay still sound good when you read it
aloud? Can you tighten up the prose by making any additional cuts in the word count?
If possible, this is a good time to enlist the help of friends or family members. Read your essay
aloud to them and check their reactions. Did they smile in the right parts? Did it make sense to
them?
This is also a good time to ask a friend to double-check your spelling and grammar. Even your
computer's spell check programs make mistakes sometimes, so it's helpful to have another person
read it over.

10. Read the Essay Contest Rules (Yes, Again!)

If you've been following these directions, you've already read through the contest rules carefully.
But now that you've written your draft and had some time to think things over, it's a good idea to
double-check to make sure you haven't overlooked anything.
Make a check list of all of the essay requirements, and go through it point-by-point with your
finished essay in front of you to make sure you've hit them all.
And now, you're done! Submit the essay to your contest, and keep your fingers crossed for the
results!
Learning to write an essay is a skill you will use throughout your life. The simple organization of
ideas you use when writing an essay will help you write business letters, company memos, and
marketing materials for your clubs and organizations. Anything you write will benefit from the
simple parts of an essay:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Purpose and Thesis

Title
Introduction
Body of Information
Conclusion

We'll walk you through each part and give you tips on how to master the art of the essay.
If you're writing a personal essay, you'll find help here, too: Writing a Personal Essay.

Jupiterimages - Getty Images

1. Purpose/Main Idea
Before you can start writing, you need to have an idea to write about. If you haven't been
assigned an idea, it's easier than you might think to come up with one of your own.
Your best essays will be about the things that light your fire. What do you feel passionate about?
What topics do you find yourself arguing for or against? Choose the side of the topic you are
"for" rather than "against," and your essay will be stronger.
Do you love gardening? sports? photography? volunteering? Are you an advocate for children?
domestic peace? the hungry or homeless? These are clues to your best essays.
Put your idea into a single sentence. This is your thesis statement, your main idea.
Check out Grace Fleming's How to Choose an Essay Topic.

2. Title
Choose a title for your essay that expresses your main idea. The strongest titles will include a
verb. Take a look at any newspaper and you'll see that every title has a verb.
You want your title to make someone want to read what you have to say. Make it provocative.
Here are a few ideas:

America Needs Better Health Care Now

The Use of the Mentor Archetype in...
Who Is the She-Conomy?
Why DJ Is the Queen of Pedicures
Melanoma: Is It or Isn't It?
How to Achieve Natural Balance in Your Garden
Expect to Be Changed by Reading...

Some people will tell you to wait until you have finished writing to choose a title. I find a title
helps me stay focused, but I always review mine when I'm finished to ensure that it's the most
effective it can be.

Cavan Images - Getty Images

3. Introduction
Your introduction is one short paragraph, just a sentence or two, that states your thesis (your
main idea) and introduces your reader to your topic. After your title, this is your next best chance
to hook your reader. Here are some examples:

Women are the chief buyers in 80 percent of America's households. If you're not marketing to
them, you should be.
Take another look at that spot on your arm. Is the shape irregular? Is it multi-colored? You could
have melanoma. Know the signs.
Those tiny wasps flying around the blossoms in your garden can't sting you. Their stingers have
evolved into egg-laying devices. The wasps, busying finding a very specific place to lay their eggs,
are participating in the balance of nature.

4. Body of Information
The body of your essay is where you develop your story or argument. You have finished your
research and have pages of notes. Right? Go through your notes with a highlighter and mark the
most important ideas, the key points.
Choose the top three ideas and write each one at the top of a clean page. Now go through again
and pull out supporting ideas for each key point. You don't need a lot, just two or three for each
one.
Write a paragraph about each of these key points, using the information you've pulled from your
notes. Don't have enough? Maybe you need a stronger key point. Do a little more research.
Help with writing:

6 Tips for Improving Your Writing

10 Resources for Improving Your Writing
5 Quick English Grammar Tips

Patagonik Works - Getty Images

5. Conclusion
You're almost finished. The last paragraph of your essay is your conclusion. It, too, can be short,
and it must tie back to your introduction.
In your introduction, you stated the reason for your paper. In your conclusion, you want to
summarize how your key points support your thesis.

By observing the balance of nature in her gardens, listening to lectures, and reading everything
she can get her hands on about insects and native plants, Lucinda has grown passionate about
natural balance. "It's easy to get passionate if you just take time to look," she says.

If you're still worried about your essay after trying on your own, consider hiring an essay editing
service. Reputable services will edit your work, not rewrite it. Choose carefully. One service to
consider is Essay Edge. EssayEdge.com
Good luck! Every essay will be easier.