I won the runner-up prize at the Snow Cup. Tips I kept in mind when applying [Award Report]
Today, I received the runner-up prize in the "Snow Cup" contest organized by Snow Honda.
⭐︎Click here for the contest results announcement
↑The contest has ended.
The winning article is here.
"To learn to love housework, why not just buy cleaning supplies and push yourself into it?"
Once I thought of it, I acted immediately. I headed to the nearest 100-yen shop, bought some supplies, and tried cleaning.
I'm so happy to have been chosen!!!
I immediately added "Snow Cup Runner-up" to the awards section of my professional portfolio.
I'm happy that my list of awards is growing. I'd like to keep adding to it steadily at this pace.
In this article, I will introduce the background leading up to the submission and the tips I was careful about when applying.
Background leading up to the submission
Actually, I've been failing contest submissions quite a bit lately.
[Contests I applied to but was rejected from]
note Creative Awards
Gathering to Think About Youth 2024
Hinata Short Story Literary Award
Kotonari Kyoto 1st Yaoyorozu Literary Award
*There are many others, but these are the ones I remember.
When I look at the X accounts of people who frequently enter public contests, they apply to dozens of them a month. Since I have work and childcare, I can't dedicate that much time. That's why I've continued to apply steadily and reasonably within my own limits.
When I apply, I think, "This time for sure," but when rejections continue, I often lose confidence. After all, public contests depend on connections and compatibility with the judges.
I know that just because I didn't win, I don't necessarily need to lose confidence.
Even so, every time I apply, I find myself thinking, "I want to win someday...!!!!" After all, I apply because I want to be chosen. I used to think it was embarrassing to feel frustrated, but lately, I've started to think that there's no need to suppress those feelings.
Under those circumstances, I was incredibly happy to have won an award at the Snow Cup. Thank you, Snow-san, for hosting such a wonderful contest despite having a difficult time in your private life.
Points I was conscious of when applying
This time, I followed these steps when applying.
1. Check the application guidelines written by the judge
Since there was a character count limit, I checked this using a character counter and similar tools.
■ Theme/Format
Please submit a post under the theme "#IAlsoLikeHousework".
※Within 2000 characters. Please feel free to write manga, essays, illustrations, novels, etc. The format does not matter. Only one entry per person.
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2. Take another look at the judge's past articles. (Even if I've already read them)
While reading various articles, I thought about things like, "This person might like this kind of taste?"
For example, in the case of Snow-san, who is the judge this time, "articles where they actually visited or tried things out" are popular.
This article has lots of photos! That made me feel that they might prefer articles with many photos.
If so, I thought, wouldn't they be pleased if I attacked with that kind of topic?
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3. Read other entries (something you can do because it's note)
Based on that, do something that only I would do.
In my case, I have the strength of being a writer who has written many product reviews for affordable items.
If so, I thought I would try to compete in a genre where I could utilize that strength.
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4. Spend money
By spending money, I tried to appeal my enthusiasm to the judge by showing them, "You went this far for it!"
Huh? You say it's cheating to spend money? I'm earning money, so it can't be helped, can it!!
Since the title of this article mentioned "paying," I thought, perhaps they would be happy if there was an article that spent money for the sake of the project?
That is what I thought.
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5. Write the article and post it!
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In conclusion
I feel it was easy to apply for this contest because the judges were people whose articles I read regularly.
Why was it easy to apply? Perhaps it's because I could immediately picture the faces of the judges. Maybe it's a good idea to picture the "faces" of the judges when applying for a contest.
#WhatAreYouTalkingAbout
That concludes my look back at the contest. I have an online interview this afternoon, so I'll do my best!
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*The thumbnail for this article was drawn by my fellow writer, Shimizu-san.
I love these cute illustrations; they are heartwarming and soothing. I look forward to seeing more of your cute illustrations.
⭐︎About the author of this article
[Freelance Writer]
Freelance writer. Currently writing for media outlets such as Mynavi Woman, Urepia Soken mimot, Joshi SPA!, and arweb.
⭐︎Click here for other articles looking back at public submissions and contests