Summary

Janis Gross is hosting a writing contest on Medium with a total prize of $300, aiming to reward and expose deserving writers' stories, starting April 1st.

Abstract

Janis Gross, a successful Medium writer, is launching a writing contest to help talented writers gain visibility and earnings on the platform. The contest, which begins on April 1st, offers a total prize of $300, with$ 100 contributed by Gross himself and the remaining $200 by Oliver Lövström and Mike Sansone. The competition is part of Gross's broader initiative to foster a supportive writing community through his publication "Wake. Write. Win." and its associated newsletter, which donates earnings to charity. The contest's prompt has been revealed on the publication's Discord server, with further details on participation and criteria for winning to be announced on the contest's start date.

Opinions

Gross acknowledges the frustration of writers who produce quality content but receive little attention or earnings, while less skillful writers seem to prosper.
He admits to initially writing about topics he was not an expert in, such as writing, Medium, and earning money, to gain clicks, followers, and income, which worked due to the audience's desire for quick success stories.
Gross believes that writers who deserve recognition and financial reward are those who put genuine effort into their work, more so than himself or others who may have gamed the system.
He is motivated by a mission to improve the world through writing and is taking concrete steps to support and connect writers within the Medium community.
The writing contest is not only a financial incentive but also a means to provide substantial exposure to winning stories, with Gross committed to promoting them widely.
Gross expresses gratitude towards Oliver Lövström and Mike Sansone for their contributions to the prize money, highlighting the collaborative nature of his initiative.
He encourages writers to join the Discord community to stay informed about the contest and to connect with other writers for mutual growth and support.

How To Write Your First $100 Story

…without relying on the Medium algorithm.

Non-members can read here.

It happens all the time.

You put your heart and soul into writing a story only to see it get lost in the depths of Medium — a few views, and mere pennies in earnings.

Frustrating.

At the same time, you see other writers (I won’t mention any names) posting poorly written bullshit with half the words misspelled, take off. They get the attention and earn the money that you deserve.

I’m here to change that.

I’m here to illuminate your greatest stories and help you find the readership you deserve. I’m here to appreciate and reward your hard work. And I’m here because I believe that with writing we can make this world a better place.

That’s why, starting Monday (April 1st), I will host one of the biggest writing contests on Medium with a prize of $300 in total for anyone to join.

There will be 5 winners awarded, and the first one gets $100. All the 5 winning stories will get immense exposure as I will do my best to get as many eyeballs on them as possible.

But let me start from the beginning.

Photo by Nubia Navarro (nubikini) on Pexels

Imposter (not syndrome)

Since I started writing on Medium 50 days ago, I’ve written 75 stories that made me over $500 in total.

How?

I wrote about writing, Medium, and earning money here — even though I didn’t know anything about any of those. I joined the ranks of Medium imposters pretending they’ve got it all figured out. I faked my way to more clicks, more followers, and more money.

It worked. People were digging my shit. Because I was fueling their illusion of quick and easy success on Medium, isn’t that what everyone wants?

What I want to say is:

You deserve the money more than me.

I’m on a mission

I’m not just doing this because I’m nice (although you’re free to believe so). I’m doing this to fulfill my purpose.

I want to make this world a better place. And I believe that with writing we have the power to do so.

That’s why I’ve created the publication Wake. Write. Win. with the goal of making it the most connected community of writers on Medium. For all community members, I started a weekly publication newsletter, donating all its earnings to a good cause (So far, we’ve donated $66.09).

Now, I’m taking it a step further.

And I’m incredibly happy and grateful that Oliver Lövström, Mike Sansone (and hopefully you) support me on my mission. They are both contributing $100 to the prize money of the writing contest.

The contest

As I mentioned, the prize money for the contest will be $300 in total, starting on Monday, April 1st.

I’m putting $100 on the table myself. The other $200 are coming from Oliver and Mike.

I’ve already revealed the prompt for the contest on our Wake. Write. Win. Discord server. I will get out all the other information about the contest on how to join, how to win, and what to consider on Monday.

Join more than 80 writers in our Discord community to connect, grow together, and stay up-to-date about the contest!

Are you ready to write your first $100 story and finally reach the readership you deserve?

Get an email when the writing contest is starting!

Get an email whenever Janis Gross publishes! By signing up, you will create a Medium account if you don't already have…

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See you on Monday! Love, Janis 💜❤️🧡💛💚💙