Someone sent me a notice containing information about a writing competition to post on the blog. When I visited the website, however, I noticed that the contest requires a $10 entry fee. I am not sure about the Islamic ruling on this topic but managed to find the following:
Contests & sweepstakes with a participation fee
Ruling on contests where buying something is a necessary condition of entry
According to the above fatwas, contests that require fees are considered gambling, which is prohibited in Islam. I think it is important, however, to obtain a more specific fatwa for writing competitions, which (unlike sweepstakes and certain types of competitions mentioned in the above links) are merit-based. I'll post again when I find the relevant information.
In the meantime, check out these lists of writing competitions having no fees:
No-Entry-Fee Fiction Contests
Contests at Freelancewriting.Com
(Note: You'll have to search the extensive database to find the contests having no fees).
Also take a look at these pages providing warnings about writing competition scams:
Writing Contests: When Winners Are Losers
Warnings about Contests and Vanity Anthologies
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