All-Russian literary competitions. Literary quizzes and competitions. S-T-I-K-S Universe Novel Contest

We invite you to take part in the Reading Competition "Dedication to Paustovsky"!

The competition is organized by the Museum of K.G. Paustovsky with the aim of updating for the professional acting community, lovers of the artistic word and the general public of a diverse creative heritage Konstantin Georgievich Paustovsky, interpretation of the writer’s prose and the role of his heritage in the modern cultural and historical space.

Anyone over 12 years old can take part in the competition.

Works to read are distributed as follows: nominations:

- “Knight of Literature” (Memories of Konstantin Georgievich Paustovsky);
- “The Art of Seeing the World” (K.G. Paustovsky about creativity and people of art);
- Literary portraits (K.G. Paustovsky about writers);
- K.G. Paustovsky about love;
- Paustovsky Theater;
- Humorous pages of K.G. Paustovsky;
- Travel notes by K.G. Paustovsky;
- “The charm of the Russian landscape” in the works of K.G. Paustovsky;
- School classics (works by K. G. Paustovsky for children).

Created: November 24, 2019

LITERARY READERS' COMPETITION "GOVORUN"

Details Literary competitions

1.General provisions
The literary competition of readers "Govorun" is a competitive event in the expressive reading of excerpts from poetic works of Russian and foreign writers, as well as passages in prose. The competition is held by the leaders of the musical theater "Edelweiss" with the aim of increasing spiritual culture, patriotic education, as well as speech development and the formation of interest in the artistic word, the development of the ability to feel the beauty and expressiveness of the poetic word.

We have compiled a selection of literary competitions and awards 2019. Poets and prose writers, experienced and novice authors can participate. Read the terms and conditions on the websites carefully and don’t forget about the deadlines!

II International Literary Competition "ETHNOMIR - Rainbow of Consonances"

Organizers: International Public Foundation "Dialogue of Cultures - United World", Union of Polish Organizations "Unity".
The competition accepts works that call for a dialogue of cultures, revealing the uniqueness, beauty and diversity of the modern ethnoworld. Literary works that promote the ideals of humanism, the formation of patriotic consciousness, that is, a special emotional experience of the author’s belonging to the country, traditions, native land and culture. Works that do not correspond to the topic or whose text exceeds the specified number of characters will not be accepted for the Competition.

Literary competition of works about nature “LET'S SAVE THE BEAUTY”

Works (manuscripts) in Russian in the following genres:

– Journalism;

Nominations:
– Popular scientific and educational literature (including reference books and dictionaries);
– Journalism;
– Fiction for adults;
– Art works for children.

Organizer: Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and Far East Russian Federation. The purpose of the competition is to search and identify authors writing about the life, way of life, traditions and customs of the indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation. 2019 has been declared by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Year of the World's Indigenous Languages. The Association decided to hold the II literary competition “Voice of the North” in 2019 among aspiring authors writing in the languages of the indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation.

O. HENRY LITERARY COMPETITION-PRIZE

The award is intended to contribute to the preservation of tradition short story a classic of American literature with its characteristic optimism, irony and dynamic plot with an unexpected ending. One story per applicant is accepted for the O. Henry Literary Prize. The length of the story should not exceed two thousand words. Stories competing for the prize must have the characteristic properties of O. Henry's prose - an optimistic outlook on life, irony, a dynamic plot and an unexpected ending.

Literary competition “In search of truth and justice”

Organizer: “A Just Russia” Party. Prose, poetic and journalistic works of authors under the age of 35 can be nominated for the prize. The award includes three categories:

“Young prose of Russia” (novels, stories, short stories).
“Young poetry of Russia” (poems, verses).
“Young journalism of Russia” (essays, articles).

In each nomination there are 1st, 2nd, 3rd places. A cash prize has been established for each of the three nominations:
1st place – 75,000 rub.
2nd place – 50,000 rub.
3rd place – 25,000 rub.
The winners' works will be published in the Roman-Gazeta magazine.

Videopoetry competition "Videostyhiya"

Organizers: Union of Russian Writers, etc.
Anyone over 14 years of age is invited to participate in the competition.
Videos filmed (created) by any available means, corresponding to the topic and nominations are accepted:

“Modern poetry” - the poem chosen for visualization must be dated no earlier than 2000
“Classics of the genre” – visualization of classical poetic texts
“Poetry of the Urals” - videos on poems by Ural authors
“Mayakovsky today” - videos based on poems by Vladimir Mayakovsky, a special nomination established by the Central City Public Library named after. V.V. Mayakovsky
My Magnitka - videos on poems about Magnitogorsk, a special nomination is announced in 2019, the year of the city’s 90th anniversary
Non-competitive nomination “Image of a Poet” – documentaries about poets (up to 40 minutes)

Competition website

All-Russian Literary Prize named after Fyodor Abramov “Clean Book”

The prize was established in memory of the outstanding Russian writer and publicist Fyodor Aleksandrovich Abramov.
The prize is awarded to the authors literary works in two categories:
“Modern prose” (prose works) – two equivalent prizes of 500 thousand rubles are awarded;
“Literary criticism” (literary critical works) – one prize of 500 thousand rubles is awarded.

Literary and artistic prose works (novels, novellas, collections of short stories and/or short stories) and literary and critical works of at least 5 author's printed pages, written in Russian and published in separate editions or published in literary and artistic magazines, can be nominated for competitive selection. during 2017-2018.

Literary competition "Spotted Hero"

Organizers: Federal State budgetary institution“Joint Directorate of the State Natural Biosphere Reserve “Kedrovaya Pad” and the National Park “Land of the Leopard” named after N.N. Vorontsova, autonomous non-profit organization “Far Eastern Leopards”. The competition is dedicated to the seventh anniversary of the formation of the Land of the Leopard National Park. The goal of the competition is to attract the attention of the general public to the problem of preserving the wild population of the Far Eastern leopard.

Prizes of the President of the Russian Federation in the field of literature and art for works for children and youth

Annual Award

The Presidential Prize of the Russian Federation in the field of literature and art for works for children and youth (hereinafter referred to as the Presidential Prize of the Russian Federation) is the highest recognition of the services of cultural figures to the state and society in the education and upbringing of the younger generation. Three Presidential Prizes of the Russian Federation are awarded annually.

International competition"Prose 2020"

Writers living outside the Russian Federation take part in the competition. Stories and novellas of no more than two author's pages are accepted for participation in the competition. To participate in the competition you must send to the address of the organizers [email protected]

International competition "Poetry 2020"

Poets living outside the Russian Federation take part in the competition. A maximum of two poems are accepted for participation in the competition.
To participate in the competition you must send to the address of the organizers [email protected] the works themselves, a photograph of the participant and his data (full name, city of residence, date of birth).

Literary competition “For will and love of life”

Organizers: literary club “First Dew”. People with disabilities without restrictions on age, citizenship, place of residence. Works are accepted in three categories: Poetry (5-10 poems) Prose (2-3 stories, no more than 15 thousand characters) Journalism Literary and journalistic works may not necessarily be related to the topic of disability. A wide variety of genres and topics are welcome, corresponding to the spiritual interests of their authors.

Read Russia Award for the best translation

In 2020, the prize will be awarded for the translation of works of Russian literature into the following world languages: English, Arabic, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Greek, German, Polish, French, Japanese. The list of languages can be expanded. Translations published by foreign publishers in 2018 and 2019 are accepted for the competition.

There is room for everyone to step forward. Now there are many writers, screenwriters and copywriters who have not yet established their positions in the creative environment. What to do if you don't have special education and promising acquaintances, but have you already written one or two stories or scripts? Modern technologies help young and adult talents express themselves. You don't have to write on your desk and wait for a belated assessment of your creativity. You can already understand how in demand texts are.

Urban Legend Competition for Science Fiction Fans

Participation and victory in the “Urban Legend” competition will ensure the publication of the story in the collection of the “Contact” club, which was created by fantasy lovers. Club publications are sent to large libraries - this way you can get, firstly, official publication, and secondly, fame in the circles of literature lovers. Each winner will receive a copy of the collection by mail. There will be three prizes in the competition. Deadline March 15, prizes: publications and gift publishing.

Literary Award "Electronic Letter"

Receiving a prestigious literary award is important, especially for an aspiring writer. “Electronic Letter” is an award given to contestants who upload their books (printed in a standard Word file) to the portal. The works will be evaluated by an authoritative jury, consisting of Denis Dragunsky, Dmitry Bykov, Andrey Vasilevsky, Natalya Kochetkova, Sergey Chonishvili, Natalya Lomykina.

The Liters: Samizdat platform will help those who have already written a book earn money. Outside of the competition, you can upload your works to the site and track sales. The publisher will pay you a percentage, which can reach impressive amounts. Deadline March 15, prizes: literary prize, publication, percentage of book sales.

Grand for participation in the project “Cross-border journalism”

If you have an exciting research project in mind, you have the opportunity to fully recoup the costs and make a great statement. Bloggers, journalists and freelancers who are good with words can participate in the grand competition. While working on the project, participants will form a group and begin creating materials about acute and interesting topics, relating to many countries (Russia, the Baltic countries and Asia), their inhabitants and current events. Thus, participants, with the help of mentors, will be able to create interesting materials and decide on further publication. Deadline March 4, prizes: payment of expenses, free mentoring, publications.

Studying at a summer media school in Prague

Thanks to the Boris Nemtsov Foundation, you can win free training with travel, accommodation and meals in Prague for 3 summer weeks. It is enough to go through two stages of selection: initial and interview via Skype. All those who are interested in correct and interesting coverage of current events are invited to cooperate: bloggers, copywriters, journalists.

To participate, you just need to plan a project, which experienced mentors will help you implement in Prague. Deadline April 1, prizes: free training, transfer, accommodation, meals and assistance in implementing the project.

“Russian Reporter” magazine and the “I am a Creator” competition

To participate in the “I am a Creator” competition, it is necessary to prepare material about the heroes of our time who take an active social position, are volunteers, or simply enter into an argument with injustice. There will be 6 winners. Deadline is March 15. Each winner will receive a cash reward and popularity.

Publishing house "Fiction" is looking for authors

For those writers who have finished working on a manuscript and don’t know where to go with it, applications to the publishing house “Chchivo” are open. Just make sure your manuscript meets the requirements and send it to the address provided on the site. Deadline: within a year. If successful, you will receive an official publication and earnings.

Literary competition "Red Nose"

All those who appreciate humor and are ready to submit their works in prose or poetry to the jury - act right now. There is still time to select works or write them from scratch. Deadline March 25, 2018, prizes: diplomas, bonus and cash reward.

Let's try to roughly divide the competitions into three groups:
- prestigious literary awards: “Big Book”, “Booker”, “National Bestseller”, genre awards such as “Wanderer”, etc.
- competitions held by publishing houses, such as “Manuscript of the Year”;
- network competitions.

Prestigious literary awards

Prestigious literary awards are for published authors, have substantial prize pools, nice prizes to put on the shelf, and attract widespread media attention. Even being included in the longlist is already happiness and a reason to proudly announce it on the cover of the book. However, no award guarantees success with the reader.

It is very difficult to nominate yourself for such a competition, even if you published a book at your own expense - publishers, thick magazines or a panel of judges most often have the right to nominate.

Therefore, you can forget about these bonuses and calm down. It’s one of two things: either it will happen or it won’t, nothing depends on our efforts.

The exception is "Debut". But it has drawbacks - this is a prize for authors under 25-35 years of age.

Competitions held by publishing houses

These competitions are mainly intended for aspiring authors and give them a great chance to start a writing career and get some initial push.

There are no prizes in them or they are purely symbolic, but they have one big, simply huge plus.

These are, by definition, fair competitions. The organizer, who is also the publisher, is vitally interested in finding new talented authors, so attention is paid to each text. As far as I understand, such awards have two main tasks. Firstly, promotion of the author - attracting media attention and attracting the attention of readers with the inscription on the cover “Award winner so-and-so.” Therefore, only the text determines everything. There is no point in giving a push to a mediocre text - it will be a waste of time and money. No matter how much you kick a hedgehog, it will not fly like a bird. Secondly, the fee of a beginning author in our time cannot serve as any significant incentive to write new works. But this recognition and moral support - they play their role.

Finally, this is one of the few chances to publish a non-format work.

My personal experience very positive. Winning the Blogbuster competition allowed me to meet some amazing editors. Thanks to these acquaintances, my story was published, and the novel did not lie idle for months, but was read immediately, out of sequence. But you need to understand that the victory of one text in the competition does not guarantee the publication of another; the only thing you can count on is attention to your application.

Then the novel won another publishing competition - “Manuscript of the Year”, thanks to which I already have something to fill the “Media about the novel” page on the book’s website.

Network competitions

Online competitions are exactly the case when participation is more important than victory. This will allow the novice author to save some time, since it will not allow him to step on the well-known rake.

Of course, not a single editor will take seriously your comment that the text took first place in the “Afftor, write escho” competition held by the “Young Star of Literature” portal.

The prize most often becomes beautiful picture, on which is written “Winner of such and such a competition.” You can hang it on your blog or website.

The main thing a novice author needs from an online competition is reviews, feedback and reviews. The chance of getting a review or at least a detailed review from the editor of the publishing house who rejected you is close to zero. The majority of blog readers will either write “Thank you,” or “Drink yada,” or remain silent.

If you're lucky enough to make it to the finals of an online competition, you can sometimes get a review from a pro. If not, you will get feedback from people who are interested in literary theory, read a lot, and share their impressions at length. This can be very useful to pay attention to your mistakes, shortcomings and advantages. At a minimum, someone will read your worst story to the end and rub your nose into at least one of the reasons for your failure. It's a kind of school.

You need to understand that online competitions are often won by strong “middle-of-the-road” stories—stories that are understandable and interesting to most judges, and that equally satisfy male and female tastes. In addition, long-standing competitions have their own established concepts of a good story. Those. You need to understand that the judges of any competition are a certain target audience, a cross-section.

There is some risk of running into a not entirely friendly public and getting bogged down in an angry skirmish or some other holivar. But it is only your choice whether to react to such things or not.

Finally, it is very interesting to be a judge of the competition. Therefore, do not be afraid of lynching competitions. Of course, it takes time, but what practice it gives! Firstly, you will partly feel in the shoes of an editor reviewing gravity and understand how to interest him. Secondly, you will easily notice a dozen logs that you could not see in your own eye. Thirdly, you will become familiar with a huge number of cliches, and you will know how to avoid them.

Where to find out about competitions

Posted on by

Current literary competitions for 2019 for experienced and aspiring writers. Placed in accordance with deadlines (dates when the acceptance of works ends). Specified necessary information: nominations, age of participants, topics and genres, volume of accepted works.

The list of competitions is regularly updated and expanded!

International competitions 2019

31.01. Annual International Internet competition “Family Glory Page”. We accept works dedicated to wars and conflicts, pages from family history, compatriots-internationalists, and home front workers. This is a project for people of all ages and professions. Conditions: You must register on the site.

15.03. Literary competition"History and Legends". Everyone is welcome to participate. Prizes: diplomas, gifts, publication for the winners. Send work to: [email protected]. There are design requirements. Genres: historical novel or story, epic, fairy tale, folklore, epic, ballad, ode, poem, vision, science fiction, fantasy. Topics: “Smeda” (based on the legend of a brave Bulgarian woman named Smeda); "Sofrata".

31.03. Short Story Competition"From the great to the ridiculous." Participants: aged 14 years and over. Prizes: winning stories are broadcast on radio “Gomel Plus” on Saturdays and Sundays at 18.15, the names of the winners are announced weekly in the organizer’s social groups. Radio broadcast on the Internet on the website http://radiogomelplus.by.

01.04. International poetry competition. Humorous poetry is accepted. Anyone can participate without restrictions on age, nationality and citizenship - who writes on English. Prizes: money, publication.

15.04. International literary fantasy short story competition XXII "Flight of Fantasy". Requirements for stories: in Russian; only fantasy (but in the broadest sense!); size from 7000 to 40000 characters excluding spaces; previously unpublished (including on the Internet).

20.06. International literary competition "Petroglyph-2019". Goal: to draw attention to the topic of the heritage of culture, literature, history,
architecture, the North, the natural wealth of the regions of the Republic of Karelia. Age: 18+. Only works by living authors, in Russian, are accepted. Each participant can send 1 prose work
up to 20,000 characters with spaces, in the “Poetry” nomination – no more than 7 works. Prizes: diplomas, memorable gifts, possible publication in the almanac “Noon” or “North” (Petrozavodsk). Participants have the right to perform in one or more categories. Competition nominations:

Poetry
Realistic prose (short fiction)
Fantastic prose (short fiction)

31.12. Newspaper Awards“Literature and Art”:

Prize named after B. Mikulich - for the best publication of creative prose on the old pages of the newspaper “LIM”;
Prize named after A. Bachyly - for the most impressive and pathetic publication on the old pages of the newspaper “LIM”;
G. Berezkin Prize - for the best literary critical publication.

Works for participation in the competition are accepted in electronic form by the editors of the newspaper “Literature and Art” ( [email protected]) from January 1, 2019 with the marks “Prose”, “Poetry”, “Criticism”. Information about the results of the competition will be published in the Literature and Art newspaper no later than January 31, 2020.

You can also see which ones are held

If you have not yet decided whether to participate in competitions, this article may be useful:

P.S. Are you participating in literary competitions? What do they give you? Share your thoughts. And I wish you, colleagues, easy keys and nimble mice!

Do you have information about a literary competition for adults? Write to me by e-mail: [email protected].

63 comments

Oleg, if you do not have the opportunity to study at a literary institute, act on the principle of “learn from someone and somehow.” The main thing is your sincere desire and talent, but remember: the latter must be constantly developed. Read the classics, analyze, draw conclusions.

Maybe I should try it too? Actually, my only desire is to win. I could never afford to be somewhere behind someone's back. My story “The Long Road Home” has already occupied the souls and minds of many.
Ilgiz Akhmetov

- - As for whom, Alexander. For a very long time I did not dare to show my poems to other writers. It took me a fair amount of courage to decide for the first time and take them out of the table. And to the competition, where they will evaluate and compare, many still do not dare to send their creations.
    As for the dispute with the jury, I don’t see the point in it. You can, of course, express your opinion, tactfully and unobtrusively. But to criticize... They set the rules - they break them. And this, as I already said, is their problem. My conscience won't bother me. :)
    - “to a competition where they will evaluate and compare, many do not dare to send their creations.” Their doubts are incomprehensible. No one is shot for submitting works to the competition. But writing just to hide the manuscript in the table is pointless. It's like a singer with an opera voice performing in a dense forest. It’s just that no one explains to people what’s what.
      
      “As for the dispute with the jury, I don’t see the point in it. You can, of course, express your opinion, tactfully and unobtrusively. But to criticize... They set the rules - they break them.” There is a single literary theory that all experts must adhere to. If the jury violates the rules, it must be reported. If it does not know or deliberately does not indicate in the Regulations the criteria for evaluating works of art, it must be made so that it knows and indicates. The main thing is to speak publicly, and not in private messages, to be as convincing as possible and to cast aside empty fears. Let me remind you of the words of director Sergei Bodrov: “He who has the truth behind him is the strongest.”
      - I understand both doubts and fears - because each of us has our own experience, and not always rosy. Another thing is that it is important to understand and admit that there is this problem and try to deal with it.
        As for the second paragraph... I was thinking: it’s probably a man’s job to rush into battle with a saber at the ready. Nowadays I simply prefer not to participate in competitions that cause confusion, are incomprehensible, seem unfair, etc. If everyone didn’t participate and ignored it, from my point of view, this would be the best protest. :)

Svetlana, good afternoon! Please tell me, my grandmother is 94 years old, she is a child prisoner, she wrote down her memories. I edited them and put them into a small brochure. I would like these memories of the terrible years of German captivity to reach the reader. Which competition do you think would be suitable? Grandma is very proud of her book, she often rereads it and cries...Thank you

Olga, I don’t know if there are competitions where brochures are accepted. But in the form of an essay you can submit it to the annual International Internet competition “Page of Family Glory”. As far as I know, they print submitted works on their website. Also try submitting your manuscript to the national Big Book Award. Later, there is also a competition for the National Prize for Humanism in Art “For the Good of the World”, where you can also send your manuscript.
Remember that many competitions allow you to submit manuscripts that have not been published anywhere before.
You will receive more detailed information if you follow the links to the relevant sites.
If you are not specifically interested in competitions, but the goal is to give the world your grandmother’s work, you can publish it for free on the Liters or Ridero platforms.
Good luck!
- It is very difficult for a beginning author to break into the Big Book. If he does not have the book, he will have to send the manuscript, and this can only be done in paper copies. Even if there is a printer at home, there will be costs for paint, paper, parcel post (or even a parcel). The amount will be so high that you won’t want to participate in the competition. Add to it the real probability of losing, and you will understand that the game is probably not worth the candle. Even experienced writers cannot get into the Big Book. It’s not surprising - there the fight is for millions, and the selection is quite tough.
  - Alexander, the material costs for a manuscript in 1-3 copies are actually not that high. And if there is a goal, they are quite achievable. I’m used to not looking for reasons, but considering possibilities.
    I did not participate in the “Big Book”; I have no such experience. But if I had decided to send the manuscript there, I would have simply taken it and sent it, and let it be as it will. The game may well be worth the candle, if you look at it from a different angle. I think that you, Alexander, have already understood from my responses to your comments above.
    So, Olga, just choose competitions, prepare your manuscript, and submit. Grandma will already be pleased with your attention and efforts. Good luck to you and grandma!
    - “The material costs for a manuscript in 1-3 copies are actually not that great.” Svetlana, some are small, and some are big. What is good for a Russian is ruinous for a German. Before getting involved in an unpromising business, you need to weigh your options.
      
      “I didn’t participate in the Big Book, I don’t have that experience. But if I decided to send the manuscript there, I would simply take it and send it, and then let it be what it will be.” If you are used to taking risks, please do not advise others to do the same. Many professional writers cannot even get on the longlist for this award. In addition to material costs, the participant faces another problem: the manuscript must be recommended by someone - usually either a writing organization or a publishing house.
      
      In my opinion, Olga should choose competitions where the demands on authors and works are not too high.
      - “If you are used to taking risks, please do not advise others to do the same.”
        Alexander, if you are used to giving instructions left and right, please don’t tell me what to write. It is my right to say what I think. And a person’s right is to do as he sees fit. Everyone has their own head on their shoulders. In addition, there is no need to distort what I said: I am not giving advice at all. They asked me - I answered as I saw fit.
        This is just about respecting the personality of the other person with whom you communicate. Because I find your tone unpleasant.
        As for expenses, I insist: printing 1-3 copies of the manuscript is a small expense for people who want to hold their book in their hands and are doing everything possible to do this. For those who are used to whining and whining, even if you pay, they will still find something to be dissatisfied with.
        In general, I am for positivity and for the position of the Master of life, not the Victim. That’s why I’m looking for options, and not endlessly shedding tears about unfulfilled dreams, bad surroundings, stupid weather and the fact that “they didn’t understand me... didn’t recognize me...” Not enough money? Look for how to make money. Whining definitely won't get them going.

I am writing “Tales from Zhora Mariupolsky.” This is an extensive anecdotal incident taken from life. This genre is closest to me. He started in the “Priazovsky Rabochiy” in the city of Mariupol. Published in various publications. I would like to collect it in a book. It’s expensive to publish yourself. You won't be able to speed up your retirement. I have no idea what to do!

Konstantin, try publishing the book in electronic form. Do you have it in Ukraine? electronic publishing Strelbitsky (my book “Nymph and Hooligan” was published there). But I really liked the Russian publishing house Ridero the most: it’s easy to figure out what’s what, design the book yourself - completely free, if your knowledge and skills allow it, and also print it, from 1 copy to as many as you want. At the same time, the printed books are of excellent quality, I can say this, because... tested from my own experience. True, you have to pay for printed books, but, alas, charity is now a rare phenomenon, and, in my opinion, often even harmful. 🙂

Konstantin, for some reason it’s impossible to get to your site: I get a 404 error. That’s why I removed the URL of your blog.
- The most important thing is to understand what is more important for the author: to become a recognized writer or to publish a book because “I want it to be read.” Strelbitsky's publishing house is not suitable for the first option - it has poor editing. If the author just wants to stroke his vanity, then any samizdat will do. However, you need to be careful where they offer to sign a vague contract. This way you can fall into literary slavery or lose your copyright.
  
  “You have to pay for printed books, but, alas, charity is now a rare phenomenon, and, in my opinion, often even harmful.” A harmful phenomenon is when the author is not paid for his work, and when they try to extract money from him, this is already rudeness. If you want to earn money, share it with the author, because he also spends time and effort, he also needs to live on something.
  - You are right in many ways, Alexander. As for charity, even more so: I’m a writer myself, I know that. However, charity can still be “harmful”: I have seen books that not only have no artistic or other value, but are illiterate, “about nothing” - on expensive glossy paper. This kind of charity is pure harm (I won’t describe it). So those who want to help the author should first get acquainted with the work in which he is going to invest money, and perhaps consult with experts.
    - “However, charity can still be “harmful”: I have seen books that not only have no artistic or other value, but are illiterate. This kind of charity is pure harm. So those who want to help the author should first get acquainted with the work in which he is going to invest money, and perhaps consult with experts.” Svetlana, this is a well-known fact. Only a careless person would buy a suit without making sure that it can be worn. It also happens differently: a sponsor gives money for publication to a friend, relative or “needed” person, and, instead of reading the manuscript, asks for an autographed book. This is roughly how all junk ends up on store shelves. Or the unfortunate writer pays his money, if, of course, he is rich.
      - Without a doubt, Alexander. And these are also well-known facts. 🙂

MY POEMS
The secret of existence will be revealed to us.
Talented people of Art.
The writer's talent is thinking.
And the essence of thoughts is words.
Turn it into art.
A writer's talent is like revelation.
In the sincerity of feelings in words.
The talent of a writer is a story in a novel.
Beautiful gentle kind words.

I have a small question, as a person who has no experience in participating in competitions.
When an author submits his work to a competition, can’t he lose his work after the competition is over and someone uses his work, but on his own behalf? After all, it is impossible to trace the fate of a work, and when it is suddenly published under a different name, then, most likely, it will not be possible to restore justice... What to do, what can you advise?

The question of how to protect your work is always relevant. And, as I understand it, I got new topic for the post. 🙂 Thank you.
As for your question (so as not to leave it completely unanswered now), I’ll suggest the following options offhand.
1. Post it on one of the sites on the Internet or publish it in the press. But (!) - such works are not always accepted for competition. Look at the conditions carefully.
2. Give the manuscript to several readers to read (for the court these are quite wonderful witnesses - if you have to prove something). Ask them to write reviews on social media or your blog.
3. You can also post an excerpt/excerpts from the work on Internet sites: you will hear your opinion and record the authorship.
- Thank you, Svetlana!
  The issue of authorship is not a simple one. Can I use a notary? Let's say I send my work to a competition with the mark “notarized”, as a kind of patent. How reasonable will this be from your point of view?
  - Fedor, I’m not sure that notaries provide such services. But ask: if a lawyer undertakes to draw up such a document, I think you will sleep more peacefully.

So, I sent my story to the competition... Now all I can do is wait. Of course, I have little faith in justice. But when you read it, I believe that everyone will receive a huge charge of patriotism, love of life and hope for this very justice.
“Memory is not just a cold stone on a godforsaken abandoned alley. This is the guiding star in our heart..."
Ilgiz Akhmetov.

Ilgiz, you probably don’t quite understand that I just give information about competitions - with links to primary sources, but I don’t work in any of them. Therefore, I’m unlikely to read your brilliant creation, which you sent to someone unknown.
Be careful when reading other people's texts and collecting information - it is your inattention that can cause FAILURE to win. After all, it is important to start by sending your texts to where they need to go, while complying with all the conditions. Good luck to you.

“The time has passed when I criticized, pointed out, suggested - even if fairly, with knowledge of the matter and with respect for the individual.” Svetlana, it only seems to you that it has passed. This is what unscrupulous organizers and jury members of competitions are counting on. No criticism - no hassle, you can continue to fool inexperienced authors.

“Now I stick more to the advice ‘Don’t do good’.” This is a misconception. Good is valued at all times, and those who do not accept it are either fools or ungrateful people.

“The world is fair and sooner or later it sets its own accents.” The world is huge, but helpless, and without people it will not set any accents.

“The most important thing for me is participation in the competition, because I see this as one of the options for self-development. And winning is a great bonus, but not an end in itself.” There will be no development if the jury rewards mediocre works, and the participants are silent like fish. This is a vicious circle, not development.

“In my opinion, any disappointments are not from wrong decisions and not from who thinks what. In my opinion, disappointments arise when expectations do not match the result.” Wrong decisions, especially those of organizers or experts, lead everyone to a dead end. This is shown by practice and proven by logic, and it is natural that such a result gives rise to disappointment.

“The solution is to cancel expectations that do not depend on us!” If we come to terms with the lawlessness of the competition, the irresponsible organizers and jury will become completely insolent

“Self-development depends on me, but the results depend on other people and circumstances.” If the results are incorrect, this must be reported. Today one person made a mistake, tomorrow another, the day after tomorrow four more will make a mistake, and then our world will turn into one big mistake.

“I don’t chase these results, I don’t bet on them.” If you participate in a competition, this already means that you want to achieve results, and good ones at that.

“If they mess up, no one gets away with it, life has convinced me of this more than once.” I’ll tell you from my own experience: a screwed-up jury gets away with it precisely when no one declares: “You’re wet!”

“everyone gets a reality created with their own hands” Competition organizers really create reality with their own hands, and it does harm if they begin to cheat and hack.

“Everything is relative in the world! For example, you helped a friend and got him a job in your company. Having emerged from poverty, he began to destroy your company from the inside with his negativity. It seems like you did a good deed - good. And it turned out to be the collapse of your brainchild.” Well, everything is very simple here: if an employee does not cope with his tasks, he is either demoted or fired.

I read with interest everything you write on my blog, Alexander. But the more I read, the more I understand: you and I are on different wavelengths. In such cases it is difficult to come to a consensus. Or impossible. Therefore, I propose that everyone stay with their own opinion - with full respect for the opinion of the other. In my opinion, this is the ideal solution when the worldviews are completely different. 🙂
I will answer only on this point: “If you participate in a competition, this already means that you want to achieve results, and good ones at that.”
You are right, I want to achieve results, and good ones at that. But they do not depend on the jury's decision. Firstly, competitions motivate you to write - and this is often difficult for a person who works with other people’s texts all day. Secondly, for me it is also a test of “I can or cannot”, especially if I have to write on topics that are new to me. She won and became a laureate - a great bonus. That's why I have no disappointments. And I’m also sure: if negative things happen to me (I was deceived or insulted, for example), it means that I somehow created a situation in which this became possible.
By the way, when I felt like I was the master of my life, such negative situations began to happen much less frequently. 🙂

“It’s probably a man’s job to rush into battle with a saber at the ready.” Svetlana, in such matters there is no division based on gender. The main thing is attentiveness, knowledge and logic.

“Nowadays I simply prefer not to participate in competitions that cause confusion, are incomprehensible, seem unfair, etc.” It is not always possible to understand what kind of competition is in front of you. I have already published “symptoms” here, which should cause caution, but the situation finally becomes clearer after summing up the results. And even then, if the works of the winners are made public. Otherwise, there is nothing to compare your work with, that is, you cannot make a comparative analysis and determine whether the awarded work is really better.

“If everyone didn’t participate, if everyone ignored it, from my point of view, this would be the best protest.” In order for participants to understand what is happening, explanations will have to be given. And if you simply walk away in splendid silence, it will not help either you or your colleagues.

Judging is a subjective phenomenon: each person has his own experience, values, ideas, etc. And it’s simply impossible to please everyone, even if the jury tried to be as objective as possible. If only because the author himself is not always objective when it comes to his works.
I had to work with authors more than once, albeit not in competitions, but one on one. Oh, how different they are and how complex they are.
And I myself am an author. And I conclude: we must write, we must write. And time will put everything in its place.

Svetlana, what competitions would you recommend a 14-year-old child start with? My son wants to become a screenwriter. I want someone to look at his texts professionally. Issued a review. We like what he writes, but we are parents. We may not be objective.

Svetlana, unfortunately, I’m unlikely to be able to help you with anything. I choose competitions for adults, not for children and teenagers. But I think if you Google it, you can find these. You can also try to submit a script to the monoplay competition “MonoLIT” (until July 25) - it is in the list of this publication, you can follow the link to the organizers’ website: there are no age restrictions in this competition.
As for the texts, you can also show them to one of the writers, screenwriters, directors: they quickly grasp how suitable the text is for production. But it’s best, while the boy is still too young, to go with him to the regional creativity center and enroll in the appropriate club or studio. You can also try contacting your local newspaper.
Good luck to you!