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Awards · free template

Writing Competition Entry Form

Accept short stories or poems with word counts, anonymity and originality declared.

A ready-to-use awards, contests & voting form for small teams who need a reliable intake process: 14 questions, 3 pages, 4 conditional rules.

Questions
14
Pages
3
Layouts
classic
Conditional rules
4
Typical time
9 min
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Live preview and test console

This is the real form. Answer it to test the 3 conditional rules — nothing is sent or stored.

Page 1 of 3 — Entry

Writing competition entry

Do not put your name anywhere in the document.

Any file type up to 10.0 MB (larger files are rejected) · uploads are saved on the live form

Every question on this page is currently visible.

What happens after submit: nothing is stored in this preview. On your own copy, every response triggers an instant email notification and lands in your response dashboard, ready to export or forward.

Happy with it? Take a copy into your workspace — every question, rule and setting comes with it.

Who this template is for

Writing Competition Entry Form is built for small teams who need a reliable intake process who need to collect the same complete information from everyone.

  • Small teams who need a reliable intake process working in awards, contests & voting.
  • Teams who need to collect the same complete information from everyone without writing code or paying for a custom build.
  • Anyone replacing chasing missing details over email with one structured record per enquiry.
  • Respondents are the people you send it to — the form asks them 14 questions across 3 screens.

Why this form is useful

It removes the cost of chasing missing details over email and turns each submission into a record your team can act on immediately.

  • 12 questions are required, so submissions arrive complete instead of needing a follow-up email.
  • It collects a verified email address so replies and confirmations land.
  • It accepts a document or photo upload as evidence.
  • It captures a numeric value you can filter and sort on.
  • Conditional logic hides 4 questions until they are relevant — shorter forms convert better than long ones.
  • Splitting the form across 3 pages keeps each screen short and shows respondents how much is left.
  • Every response is stored, searchable and exportable, so nothing depends on one person's inbox.

How to use this template

From copy to live form is a few minutes of work, and every step is reversible.

  1. 1Press “Use this template” — a fresh copy of Writing Competition Entry Form lands in your workspace, ready to edit.
  2. 2Rename or delete any question, and change what is required. Nothing here is fixed.
  3. 3Open Notifications and add the email addresses that should be alerted on each submission; add an auto-reply to the respondent if the form collects an email address.
  4. 4Check the upload limits on the file question so respondents can attach what you actually need.
  5. 5Publish it, then either share the link directly or paste the embed snippet into your site — the embedded form resizes to fit and loads no marketing or advertising trackers.
  6. 6Watch responses land in Submissions, where you can filter, label and export them to CSV or PDF.

Logic and conditions blueprint

Exactly how this form behaves as it is answered — 4 conditional rules ship with it.

  • Features advanced show logic: if “Is the entrant under 18?” is Yes, the form dynamically exposes “Parent or guardian email”. Otherwise that question never appears.
  • Features advanced show logic: if “Has this piece been published or entered elsewhere?” is Yes, the form dynamically exposes “Publication or competition details”. Otherwise that question never appears.
  • Features advanced show logic: if “Did you use any AI tool in writing this piece?” is Yes, the form dynamically exposes “How was the AI tool used?”. Otherwise that question never appears.
  • Features conditional validation: if “Is the entrant under 18?” is Yes, “Parent or guardian email” becomes mandatory before the form can be sent.
  • All 4 rules are editable in the Logic tab, and the built-in checker warns about rules that contradict each other.

About this template

Blind judging is the point of a writing prize, and it is usually lost at the entry stage. This form separates the author from the work deliberately: the personal details sit on their own page, and the manuscript upload carries an explicit instruction that no name should appear in the file or its header. The entrant declares a word count, chooses the category — short story, flash fiction, poetry or creative non-fiction — and states whether the piece has been published or placed in another competition, which opens a box for the details. An originality declaration covers the two problems prizes now face: work that is not the entrant's own, and work generated by an AI tool, asked as a plain question rather than buried in terms nobody reads. Under-18 entries open a guardian's contact details and consent, because school and youth categories are where most prizes get their entries and most safeguarding problems. Entry fee status is recorded so free-entry places are visible against paid ones.

What this form asks

Every question is editable — rename it, make it optional, or delete it entirely.

Page 1 — Entry

  • Categoryrequired
  • Title of the piecerequired
  • Word countrequired
  • Manuscript filerequired

Page 2 — Declarations

  • Has this piece been published or entered elsewhere?required
  • Publication or competition details
  • Did you use any AI tool in writing this piece?required
  • How was the AI tool used?
  • Originality declarationrequired

Page 3 — Author

  • Author namerequired
  • Author email addressrequired
  • Is the entrant under 18?required
  • Parent or guardian emailrequired
  • Entry fee statusrequired

14 questions in total.

How the form changes as it's filled in

This template ships with 4 conditional rules, grouped into 4 behaviours driven by 3 questions. Everything below is already set up — edit or delete any rule once the template is in your workspace.

Driven by “Is the entrant under 18?”

  • Reveals questions

    If “Is the entrant under 18?” is Yes, the form reveals “Parent or guardian email”.

  • Makes answers required

    If “Is the entrant under 18?” is Yes, “Parent or guardian email” becomes required before the form can be submitted.

Driven by “Has this piece been published or entered elsewhere?”

  • Reveals questions

    If “Has this piece been published or entered elsewhere?” is Yes, the form reveals “Publication or competition details”.

Driven by “Did you use any AI tool in writing this piece?”

  • Reveals questions

    If “Did you use any AI tool in writing this piece?” is Yes, the form reveals “How was the AI tool used?”.

Set it up step by step

  1. 1

    Set categories and limits

    Replace the categories and state the word limit for each in the help text.

  2. 2

    Insist on an anonymous file

    Repeat the no-name rule beside the upload field; it is the commonest reason an entry is disqualified.

  3. 3

    Keep the AI question

    Asked plainly, it gets answered honestly, and it saves an argument at judging.

  4. 4

    Reference on receipt

    Assign an anonymous reference to each entry and send only references and manuscripts to readers.

  5. 5

    Announce with permission

    Use the publicity consent captured here when you publish the shortlist.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Letting the author's name appear in the manuscript file, which breaks blind judging before it starts.
  • Not asking for a word count, so over-length entries reach the judges and have to be pulled.
  • Forgetting to ask about prior publication, which most prizes exclude.

What it pairs with

Most teams don't run this form on its own. These are the forms and systems it sits next to.

What to do with the responses

Check the word count, strip identifying details from the manuscript, assign an anonymous reference and send the batch to the readers.

Works in this layout

Browse classic templates

Forms that overlap this one

These pages cover the same subject ground as the writing competition entry form, matched on the words people actually search for.

Privacy & compliance

This form takes money. Card details are handled by the payment provider and never stored in your response data — you keep the order details, not the card number.

Frequently asked questions

How do I keep judging blind?

Author details are collected on a separate page, the manuscript must be anonymous, and you send readers a reference rather than a name.

Are AI-assisted entries allowed?

That is your rule. The form asks directly and opens a description, so the panel decides with the facts rather than a suspicion.

Can under-18s enter?

Yes — a guardian email and consent open automatically, which most youth categories require.

What about previously published work?

The form asks and captures where. Most prizes exclude it, and it is much cheaper to find out now than after a shortlist.

Is the Writing Competition Entry Form template free to use?

Yes. You can preview and test Writing Competition Entry Form on this page without an account, and take a copy into your own HelloForms workspace on the free plan. There is nothing to install and no card required to publish it.

What does the Writing Competition Entry Form template ask for?

It asks 14 questions across 3 pages, 12 of which are required. Every question is listed in full further down this page, and each one can be renamed, reordered, made optional or deleted after you copy the template.

Can I edit the Writing Competition Entry Form form after copying it?

Yes — the copy is entirely yours. Change wording, add or remove questions, switch between the classic layout, restyle it to match your brand, and set who gets notified on each submission.

How does the conditional logic in this awards, contests & voting form work?

4 conditional rules ship with the template: Features advanced show logic: if “Is the entrant under 18?” is Yes, the form dynamically exposes “Parent or guardian email”. Otherwise that question never appears. Features advanced show logic: if “Has this piece been published or entered elsewhere?” is Yes, the form dynamically exposes “Publication or competition details”. Otherwise that question never appears. Features advanced show logic: if “Did you use any AI tool in writing this piece?” is Yes, the form dynamically exposes “How was the AI tool used?”. Otherwise that question never appears. All rules are editable in the Logic tab.

Where do responses to the Writing Competition Entry Form form go?

Submissions land in your workspace under Submissions, where you can search, filter, label and export them to CSV or PDF. You can also email a notification to your team on every submission and send the respondent an auto-reply.

Can I embed the Writing Competition Entry Form form on my own website?

Yes. Publish the form and paste the embed snippet into any page or share the direct link. The embedded form resizes to fit its container and loads no advertising or marketing trackers inside the iframe.

Can respondents upload files?

Yes. This template includes a file upload question, so respondents can attach documents or photos with their answers. You can adjust the accepted file types and size limits on that question.

Related templates

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Related categories

All Awards, Contests & Voting templates