Why the Medium Writers Challenge Was Great

And how you can keep up the contest mentality.

Photo by Anna Auza on Unsplash

Between preparing my submission for the Medium Writers’ Challenge (MWC) last week and checking out other writers’ work, I’ve seen a couple of stories about the challenge being a bad idea.

Sure, handing out a ton of money to only a handful of writers is a little elitist, especially comparing the constest to the bonuses the platform has been handing out to top writers. But, at the risk of looking like a true suck-up, I’m going to go ahead and thank the high powers behind this platform for the MWC.

Why I Loved the MWC

If you’re not familiar with the MWC, here’s a short recap.

At the end of July, Medium announced the challenge and its notable panel of judges. It was a short contest that included four different writing prompts, with the chance to win up to $50,000 for one overall winner and $10,000 for four semifinalists. This, along with the bonuses Medium has been handing out through the spring and summer, seems to be one of Medium’s efforts to reward writers apart from the regular Partner Program earnings.

Here’s what I loved about it.

1. The prompts were helpful, but not too limiting.