Just wanted to rant really. This was my first time entering a short story competition. I received a letter inviting me to the prize giving ceremony, which was in some out of the way theatre. Be honest, if you got a letter like that, wouldn't you think you might at least be in the running to win a prize? So tonight, I spend £20 taking a taxi, both ways, to this theatre and find out it's not even a proper theatre with a stage and seats--it's a business room with a drink's bar. I walked into a room of about fifty people, mostly members of the writing group which judged. I sit there for two and a half hours, listening to three under 18's reading their stories, and later three adults reading their stories and at the end we found out who got first, second and third place in each age catagory. I didn't win a thing. They could have easily had a nice evening, the six winners and their families, the fifteen or so members of the writer's group. There were about twenty people in the same position as myself. (entered, invited, receive zip) I'm a 29 year old mother of four, I'm a big girl and I don't cry easily, but...is it just me or do you think it was cruel of them to raise my hopes like that?
sorry, sweetie, but it's a matter of 'caveat emptor'... you should have checked it out before you entered the contest and certainly before you made that cabbie's night... of course it was stupidly thoughtless, if not actually cruel... all you can do now is chalk it up to experience and be less gullible next time... did you tell the folks who ran it how you felt?... if not, you should! love and consoling hugs, maia
Thank you for your reply, Maia. I slept on it and did, in fact, write an email to the orgainser of the competition. I thanked him for inviting me and said that I wasn't complaining because I didn't win, I was complaining about being invited, under what I felt were false pretences. He wrote back saying he had invited everyone who lived reasonably locally and that if he hadn't, there would have been no audience. (It wasn't even a proper function anyway!) He said if he had told me I didn't win in the first place, I wouldn't have shown up to the "do." I'm trying not to get too downhearted about it!
I do events that I don't have to trick people into attending. It sounds like he was using some sad, desperate tactics to fill his sad venue. You shouldn't get upset, but you might want to switch writing groups. I don't trust people who are dishonest by omission on purpose (it sounds like he knew exactly what he was doing). He should have sent you a letter before the invitation telling you that you didn't win.
he was being downright dishonest and doesn't deserve another second of your attention... move on and be more careful about vetting both contests and events from now on...
Ahh Hi, Sorry to say this, but I have heard of this happening before. It's sort of a con. The organisers give away low value prizes but make their money by having lots of people attending the function, buying drinks and food. The contest is really just bait. Not sure if this is what happened in your case, but it may have been a good learning experience regardless. Cheers, Greg.
