(1)#1 No-no:

Only promise rewards that you will actually give!

-I continue to be surprised how common it is for hosts not to give out the rewards they listed.

-Do not say you will read the entirety of any entry (winners only or all applicants) unless you are actually going to do it. Keep in mind that books can be up to 200 chapters long. One of my books is over 300 pages as a Word document.

-I was going to try and make an example by listing how many contests in which I'd (1) received all my rewards, (2) it wasn't clear if I'd received all my rewards, (3) I definitely hadn't received all my awards, (4) I had received none of my rewards, (5) no prizes were awarded for where my work placed in the contest... But some of the contests in which I've placed have been erased, including any mention of my achievement. So now I don't even know if I'm missing prizes, and the only record I have of winning is my say-so. *sigh*

-I just had a Wattpader erase her awards book, the reading lists that included the winners, and the book in which she had promised to interview the winners. As it's one of the times my work has gotten 1st Place, I am NOT happy about it. The user didn't care when I asked her about it and made it clear that she had washed her hands of the entire thing for her convenience.

(2) Major issues:

(a) You cannot promise votes as prizes, it is against Wattpad policy. Your contest may be deleted for including this as a prize.

(b) Don't give out potentially embarrassing awards to people that did not apply for them specifically. Examples:

-Most cliche (I would die if I was given this at all, much less in a public forum)

-The most entries submitted to the contest (I was actually given this once, and was totally mortified)

(c) Don't insist on applying prize stickers to the winners' covers yourself.

- Some people (myself included) are very particular about sticker placement.

-For people that have won multiple prizes for a given work, this is especially problematic. They may need to rearrange stickers or cover format in the future.

(3) Other considerations:

(a) If you have special categories in addition to the more traditional genres, don't award either far less or far more than the equivalent placings in the other type of category. It will make the lesser-rewarded winners feel less important.

(b) Be very clear about exactly what prizes will be awards to every winner in every place. This will help avoid hurt feelings and disappointment.

(c) Don't give out separate prize(s) to your personal favorites (as the host). Why?

-This may make your judges feel as though they are being devalued/second-guessed.

-This will definitely make the other winners feel a lesser sense of achievement.

-Unless you read every single entry in the contest, from every category, it's unquestionably unfair.