EssayContests.com - The Big Prize Essay Contest Headquarters!

Where a spin around the writer's block might win you a BIG prize!

This is the Internet's longest running and definitive listing of currently-running essay, video-creation & photography contests that have homes, businesses, money, jewelry, vacations, cars or other vehicles as prizes. All contests require that entrants use their creativity on a particular topic and send along their submission, along with an entry fee. If you've got the write stuff, you could be a winner!

Last updated on 01/24/10

WIN A HOME! WIN A BUSINESS! WIN MONEY!

Win A Home in Washington State!

Deadline:

Received by Thursday, December 31, 2009
or
when 5920 entries have been received.

Prizes:

If the target number of 5,920 entries are received, then 1 Grand Prize will be awarded to the winner: a beautiful house in Bonney Lake, Washington; 2nd Place prize of $10,000; and 3rd Place prize of $5,000.

Essay
Theme:

What inspires you?

Word
Count:

Essays must be a minimum of 200 words, and maximum of 500 words.
Videos must be no longer than 3 minutes.

Entry
Fee:

$ 75

Contest
Website:

http://www.givemethathouse.com/

A Beautiful Home, Cabins & RV Sites on Caribou Lake, Michigan!
Deadline:	Received by Thursday, December 31, 2009
Prize:	Moosehead Lodging on Beautiful Caribou Lake, at DeTour Village, Michigan.
Essay Task:	Complete the phrase, "When life hands you lemons ..." in 200 words or less
Entry Fee:	$100
Contest Website:	http://www.winourresort.com/

A Beautiful Home located in the Heart
of Florida's Horse Country!

Deadline:

Received by Thursday,
December 31, 2009

Prize:

A Beautiful 3-Bedroom Home in
Ocala, Florida!

Essay:

250 words or less:
What current issue in your local community needs to be addressed? What change would you institute, if given the opportunity, and how?

Entry
Fee:

$250

Contest
Website:

http://www.winahomewithchange.com

A Beautiful Residence located in
Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico!

Deadline:

Received by Sunday,
February 28, 2010

Prize:

A Beautiful Residence located in
Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico!

Essay:

100 words or less
Be Creative
Use your Imagination
Make Us Smile

Entry
Fee:

US$85

Contest
Website:

http://www.chapaladream.com/

Win a Conda in Central Florida!
Deadline:	Received by Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Prize:	A 2-Bedroom, 1-Bathroom Condo in Central Florida.
Contest Theme:	Why I Feel I Should Win a Free Condo Home And If I Win, How I Plan to Pay My Good Fortune Forward.
Entry Fee:	$35 if entry arrives before 3/31 $45 if entry arrives before 5/31 $60 if entry arrives before 8/31
Word Count:	Essays must be a minimum of 500 words, and a maximum of 700 words.
Contest Website:	http://www.winafloridacondo.com

Win $2,500 in Diamonds!

Deadline:

End of each month, with quarterly grand prizes

Prize:

$200 diamond pendant
with chance to win
$2,500 in diamonds!

Essay
Theme:

Your best, romantic proposal story.

Word
Count:

750 words maximum

Entry
Fee:

FREE

Contest
Website:

www.diamondcuttersintl.com/contests/proposalstories/

DISCLAIMER: EssayContests.com and its agents are not directly connected with the contests listed above unless specifically indicated above. Organizers of the contests above with direct links to their web sites have paid a fee to have their contests listed here. EssayContests.com does not certify contests. EssayContest.com is not responsible for errors or omissions with any of its listings. Contest listings above are left on the site for 90 days past each contest's official deadline date to allow entrants an easy access point to get back in touch with contest organizers.

Click here to read about some essay contest winners.

"How to win an essay contest" by Michael Pollick

Essay Contest

Idaho home essay contest no longer requires essay!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009 - NEAR COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – The rules have changed in a contest to win a $700,000 three-bedroom home near Lake Coeur d’Alene.

This $675,000 home south of Coeur d'Alene could become your home if you win a photo contest and send in $150.

Originally the owners of the home opened up a nationwide essay contest to win the home. If your essay was judged by the owners to be the most uplifting, you would have won the house.

But after receiving a little less than 2,000 essays after they originally asked for 4,000 at the start of the summer, the owners changed the rules because they had such a hard time receiving uplifting essays.

Now they’ve scrapped the writing portion of the contest and all you have to do is send a photo of anything, along with $150 and you could win.

The owners said they just want the applicants to have fun.

The owners also said they contacted everyone who sent in essays and all but one person agreed to send in a photo instead.

Couple sue lawyer over home raffle

Saturday, January 31, 2009 - Detroit Free Press - A Waterford couple filed a lawsuit against their former attorney, claiming they were ill-advised when they tried to raffle off their house in October.

Joseph and Penelope VanDevelder's house on Wanamaker Road had been on the market for 18 months, but they contacted attorney Phillip Strehle to find out if they legally could raffle off the property.

In a suit filed in Oakland County Circuit Court earlier this month, the VanDevelders said they hired Strehle, created a Web site and began printing and distributing raffle tickets the attorney approved.

After much public attention, the VanDevelders sold 235 raffle tickets that cost $100 apiece. The couple says Strehle advised them to decline their snow removal contracts for 2008-09, because they would be out of the home before it snowed, and that Penelope VanDevelder quit her job and gave up medical benefits.

The suit says Strehle called the couple a few weeks later and told them to stop the raffle because it was illegal. :It also states that Strehle attempted to change the house raffle to an essay contest.

The VanDevelders are seeking more than $25,000 in damages.

A Ticket, a Dream Lands Woman $1.25M Home

Friday, January 30, 2009 - ABC-TV News - Karen McHale of Idaho Springs, Colo., may have gotten the residential deal of the century Friday after winning a $1.25 million home for $50.

An Idaho mom won a million-dollar home in a raffle.

"I was in shock and just didn't believe it and then I was kind of terrified," said McHale, who won her new home after purchasing a raffle ticket for the house.

The story begins with Marylanders Tom Walters and his wife, Dianne.  The couple purchased their dream house in Edgewater three years ago for $375,000 and decided to renovate the 1929 farmhouse.

"We just saw the potential and fell in love with it," Tom Walters said.

The Walters quadrupled the size of the home and invested $700,000 in renovations, which included adding 4,500 square feet.  But they ended up saddled with more house than they could afford, in an uncertain market.

Walters told his wife it was time to sell their house but in an unconventional way.

"Not just sell it, but he wanted to sell raffle tickets," Dianne Walters said.

The Walters teamed up with a local charity called We Care and Friends, an organization that supports families dealing with poverty, drugs and crime in Maryland.

The Walters guaranteed the charity 10 percent of the ticket sales.

The grand prize was the 6,000-square-foot custom home that featured six bedrooms, 4½ baths and two kitchens in Edgewater, Md.  All it took was the purchase of a $50 ticket for a chance to grab the Walterses' home.

"Rather than going out and getting financing of a million dollars, if you had $50, it could be yours," Tom Walters said.

For months, the Walters collected entries online and gave out 23,000 tickets, although they'd hoped to sell 31,500 (which would have raised about $1.5 million to break even). The raffle was Friday in an Annapolis mall.

"A very worthy cause makes good money, so that helps take the sting out of it," said Tom Walters, who is now in the market for a smaller home.

McHale said, "I feel horrible. I mean, I just feel for them."

As the home's new owner, McHale said she doesn't plan to move 1,700 miles to Maryland to inhabit the house but will flip the home to pay off her mortgage.

As part of the deal, McHale won't have to pay any mortgage, liens or closing costs. But she will have to shell out $4,808.10 this year to pay the property tax bill, which includes a homestead exemption.

The Walters family expects to be out of the house in about 90 days.

Austrian luxury villa sold in global raffle

Winner gets it for $128; seller gets $1.28 million by selling 9,999 tickets

Associated Press - January 20, 2009 - VIENNA, Austria - When Traude Daniel couldn't find a buyer for her luxury villa in southern Austria, she decided to raffle it off.

It turned out to be quite a success: 9,999 tickets priced at 99 euros ($128) each sold out within days in early December to raise nearly $1,280,000.

Daniel said the 4,305-square-foot house had an estimated value of about $1 million and had been on the market for about half a year before she came up with the idea of advertising the raffle on a Web site.

Daniel, a German, said she got inquiries from as far afield as the United States and Brazil. "The response was amazing. ... We got e-mails from around the world," she said.

Walter Egger, an Austrian, was picked Tuesday as the lucky winner of the home in Austria's southern province of Carinthia during a drawing in the southern city of Klagenfurt.

The raffle has inspired several other home owners in Austria to try to sell their homes through lotteries as the country starts to feel the effects of the financial crisis. Experts are warning of a tough year ahead.

Juergen Tatscher, who is planning to raffle off his luxury mountain bungalow, said it's an ideal way to cover one's costs, if selling high-end property the regular way proves to be tough.

"I think it's a great idea," Tatscher said.

But not everyone is as enthused.

"I'm skeptical. ... If people are seriously interested in a particular property, they'll make a bid the regular way," said Friedrich Noszek of an association of Austrian property owners.

Raffles for homes or businesses, organized by private citizens, although legal in Austria, are illegal in the United States. That is why U.S. homeowners, looking to sell their homes in a weak traditional marketplace, turn to skill contests, such as essay contests, as a way to transfer ownership and pay off the mortgage.

Tell Barack Obama what his inauguration means to you and win a ticket to the inauguration!

Barack Obama's presidential inauguration committee is holding an essay contest. The organization will choose 10 winners based on the strength of their essays, in which they are to answer the question, "What does this inauguration mean to you?" Winners will be given airfare, accommodations and tickets for two.

Online Bank Forgives Hundreds of January Mortgage Payments in Essay Contest

Associated Press - December 24, 2008 - This holiday season is filled with foreclosures and sinking home values -- but one bank is playing Santa for hundreds of lucky homeowners.

ING Direct is forgiving more than $860,000 in January mortgage payments for the 500 customers who won the online bank's essay contest.

A committee chose the winners out of nearly 5,500 homeowners who sent in a 250-word essay.

The winners don't include any of the approximately 250 customers who are now in the foreclosure process. An ING Direct official says the winners are those whose stories seemed particularly compelling.

According to a bank spokesman, the gesture was paid for partly by employees who gave up their annual office parties. The bank isn't saying just how much it usually spends on those gatherings.

State Shuts Down Oregon Essay Contest

December 8, 2008 - EUGENE, OR - State officials have ordered an Oregon man to shut down an online contest he was running in which the grand prize was a free home.

Eugene resident George Tran was trying to give away a house and property in Veneta - located west of Eugene - through an Internet essay contest.

He bought it for $250,000 as an investment and ended up sinking another $50,000 into the place after he said a renter damaged it.  Eventually, he wanted out, but selling in current market conditions was not feasible.

So he created the contest, in which participants paid a $19.95 entry fee and wrote an essay about why they deserved the home.  The contest required 15,000 entries (which, at $20 an entry, would equal $300,000), and the essays were posted on Digg.com.  The essay with the most votes as of December 22nd was supposed to win the home.

Tran said the contest was a game of skill, since the best essay would win.  He also said participants had to use social networking skills to earn votes.

The Oregon Department of Justice disagreed, however.  Tran said the state decided the contest was a game of chance since there were no official judges. They ordered the contest shut down, which he did on Saturday.

The man said he refunded the entry fees to all who had participated so far.  It was not clear how many people that was.

Tran isn't the first to try a house giveaway.

Last summer, an Oregon couple tried to give away their Yachats area beach house.  They came up hundreds of entries short of their goal and are now in the process of refunding people.

As for Tran's home, it is still on the market.  He said on a blog that the home is selling for $230,000, or you can rent it.

Pennsylvania man's essay wins him a $40,000 ring, and the opportunity to propose to his girl in front of a full house at Yankee Stadium!

Friday, September 19, 2008 - Sporting events are notorious for being great places to propose, so when it came time to schedule the final engagement that would take place at the Yankee Stadium before the team moved to their new field next season, Michael C. Fina and Hearts on Fire stepped in to make sure it was extra special.  Last night, Bill Davis of Elizabethtown, PA proposed to his now fiancée Kate Cannon after winning The Final Engagement essay contest.

After Bill's late wife passed away due to a long bout with cancer, he suffered extreme financial difficulties due to the medical bills, so his co-worker, Kate, offered him and his son Chris, who lives with autism, a place to stay.  The two fell in love and bonded through their love of the Yankees.  Bill's story stood out from the nearly 8,000 other entries and he won a $40,000 engagement ring and the opportunity to propose to Kate on the DiamondVision Screen last night at one of the last games that will ever be played at Yankee Stadium.  A shocked Kate accepted the proposal and plans to incorporate their love for the Yankees into their upcoming wedding.

Three other contestants were awarded $2,500 toward an engagement ring or wedding band at Michael C. Fina, and $2,500 toward any Hearts On Fire purchase.  Entry fees were donated to Yankee pitcher Mariano Rivera's foundation to help underprivileged children.

Home giveaway contest gets OK

April 22, 2008 - The New Mexican - Todd and Tiffany Lovell can continue to try to give away their White Rock home to the winner of an essay contest at $100 per essay, according to the state Gaming Control Board.

The board had been looking into whether the contest could be considered a raffle, which is legal only for nonprofits.

But Tuesday, Greg Saunders, deputy executive director of the board, said the board found no violation of state laws governing such contests.

"We are excited and hope that brings in a lot of entries," said Tiffany Lovell, who estimated she and her husband, a physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, have received about 375 essays so far.

The Lovells say they will cancel the contest and return the $100 entry fees if they don't get at least 2,500 entries — bringing in $250,000, what they say is a minimum price for their 1,200-square-foot, three-bedroom house.

For more information on the contest, go to winahome.blogspot.com.

New Mexico Gaming Control Board to Rule on $100 Essay Contest to Win Home

April 18, 2008 - The New Mexican - The state Gaming Control Board is expected to determine next week whether it's legal for a couple to give their White Rock house to the person who writes the best essay on why he or she wants it.

Tiffany and Todd Lovell say the depressed housing market has caused them to try to move their 1,200-square-foot, three-bedroom, one-bathroom home through an essay contest — at $100 per entry.

If there are 2,500 entries, they'll make $250,000 — which the Lovells say is the minimum price of the house.  If there are more entries — and you can enter as many times as you want — that's profit.  If there are fewer, they say, they'll cancel the contest and return the entry fees.

The Lovells were not available for comment, but their Web site says rumors are untrue that the "Gaming Commission" is "putting a halt to this contest."

"While we have been very clear since the beginning that this is an essay contest, the media has done a remarkable job of making it out to be a raffle," they wrote.

But the Gaming Control Board still is considering whether the contest is legal under state law.

"We haven't made that determination yet," board deputy director Greg Saunders said this week.  "Obviously, if it is a true raffle and someone is truly raffling off their home, it would fall under the Bingo and Raffle Act and would not be legal because it wouldn't be a qualified (nonprofit) organization," he said.

However, said Saunders, if the essay contest is deemed "a game of skill," the Lovells are in the clear.

According to the Lovells' Web site, the essays will be judged by "various members of the Los Alamos County Community" whose names will not be released and who will not know the names of the people whose essays they are judging.

The Lovells say the essays will be judged on their content.  "While we realize this seems 'vague,' we are leaving it open for you to decide how you will make your mark," they wrote.  "Our idea to give away our home as a prize has certainly gotten some generous attention and that's what we hope that your essays will do, 'wow' the judges.  Think about what kinds of things will get their attention!

This is an Internet Explorer Marquee and it may not work correctly if you are using Netscape Navigator.

What should an essay look like? Well, unless a particular essay contest's rules specifically state otherwise, your entry does not generally have to be limited to one of typical prose style. You should be safe in submitting your entry as a poem, a song recording, or video presentation. In over 12 years of aiding contest organizers, I've also seen essay contests entries submitted as limericks, haiku, photo-essays and even maps!

In one North Carolina beach house contest, one entry arrived in a box, and when unfolded, created a 6-foot tall, 2-foot wide photo essay mural. Another entry in that same contest was submitted as a poem, handwritten in beautiful cursive style on a parchment-like paper, and then carefully rolled up and inserted into an old bottle, like you might find washed up on a beach. Creativity counts in most essay contests, so utilize your imagination! Just make sure that whatever form your entry takes, that you stay within the contest's published general rules as to word count or length, subject matter, etc. If there is any doubt in your mind about the eligibility of your manner of submission, don't hesitate to contact the contest organizer via mail or email.

Here's an entry submitted in a 2007 contest in Florida:

If you are thinking about running an essay contest of your own, I can assist you in a number of ways:

	I can assist you with ideas for planning and marketing of your contest - you'll find many suggestions amongst these web pages;
	I can provide you with a mailing list (on self-stick labels) of individuals who have written essays and paid entry fees to participate in previous contests (for highly targeted mailings);
	I can design your contest web page and handle all email questions and inquiries; *Here's a sample* web page that we developed for a 1996 contest!**
	I can provide your essay contest additional exposure to an audience specifically looking for such activities by listing it here for a nominal per month fee for the duration of your contest;
	Here are some observations about essay contests.
	Here is some information on the legal aspects of running essay contests.
	Here are some ideas and resources for marketing your essay contest.
	Now you can accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express payments for your essay contest entry fees without the expense and hassle of setting up a traditional bank merchant account. No set-up or monthly fees!

Drop me a line below if you'd like to discuss your project.

eMail your questions to Mark!

Let St. Joseph help you sell your home!
Not quite ready to hold your own essay contest?
Well, maybe St. Joseph can help you sell your home!
Click here.

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Did you miss The Early Show segment on essay contests on February 8th, 2002?

If so, click here to go to the CBS News website, where they discuss the story and even allow you to view the segment in Real Video!

It happened at the Spitfire Grill ... maybe it will happen to you!

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Last updated on 01/24/10 WIN A HOME! WIN A BUSINESS! WIN MONEY!

Did you miss The Early Show segment on essay contests on February 8th, 2002? If so, click here to go to the CBS News website, where they discuss the story and even allow you to view the segment in Real Video!

Last updated on 01/24/10

WIN A HOME! WIN A BUSINESS! WIN MONEY!

Did you miss The Early Show segment on essay contests on February 8th, 2002?

If so, click here to go to the CBS News website, where they discuss the story and even allow you to view the segment in Real Video!