Why Am I Not Winning Any Competitions?

Ever noticed you’ve not scored a prize from Student Edge before? There’s actually a really easy way to fix that.

Of course, there might be many Student Edge members reading this article thinking, “Hmm, I’ve never had any trouble winning a competition.” If so, congratulations, but also, why would you click on this link? This article does not speak to you!

Rather, this is a missive to those who keep entering competition after competition, all to no avail; facing only rejection at the beginning of each week when the most recent champions are displayed on the Student Edge feed to much fanfare.

The cure to what ails you is alarming simple: to truly be in the running for a prize, just answer the question!

Let’s start from the top.

Competitions on Student Edge fall into a couple categories. The first is a Game of Chance. This is the equivalent of entering a lottery, and as long as you have met all the requirements of entry (maybe we want you to answer a multiple choice question or take a survey) you have a decent mathematical chance of winning (at least as much as any other entrant does).

The second type of competition is a Game of Skill, and you’ll receive no back-slapping for guessing what you’ll need to demonstrate here. Basically, you’ll be required to answer a question or submit a creative entry based on a question or instruction. These are usually along the lines of: “Who is your favourite singer and why?” or “Tell us in 25 words or less about your most embarrassing experience.”

If you answered that first question with a simple, “Justin Timberlake,” sorry, you’ve got no chance. That’s not because Justin Timberlake is a bad answer – he is a talented and versatile performer and a fine answer for any pop enthusiast or refined music aficionado – but because there is absolutely no explanation there that would differentiate your answer from everyone else's who wrote his name in screaming all-caps.

Also, if you answered the question thusly – “I want to win!” – you will lose, because unless “I want to win!” is some hip new indie band that we’ve never heard of, you haven’t quite answered the question correctly. The same goes for: “Gimme!” “I’M POOR” or “Please can I have it?!” (Though now that we think about it, “I’M POOR” is an amazing band name.)

And you'd do well to take seriously the whole "25 words or less" part of the question, because entries that don't meet that criteria will be immediately deemed ineligible (even if they're just one or two words over). Part of the whole "Game of Skill" test is seeing if entrants can write something creative within those constraints. Plus, we're super finicky.

We can’t stress enough how important it is for you to answer the question if you want a real shot at winning a prize. There are hundreds and thousands of other members who are all submitting thoughtful, unique and personal entries. So, answers absent of character, answers that are flat-out incorrect (for instance, saying “a 2009 Subaru Hatchback” is your favourite musician without further clarification), and answers that are just begging for a reward inevitably wind up at the bottom of the pile.

If this all seems obvious to you, fantastic, you are entering Student Edge competitions correctly and we’re certain your next triumph is around the corner. However, if you’ve suddenly had an epiphany that every answer you’ve ever submitted has failed to meet the aforementioned criteria, we’re hopeful that you’ll take these learnings on board.

Next time you spy a competition on Student Edge that looks particularly enticing, read the question closely and really think about your answer. Sooner, rather than later, you shall see victory.