PEP Writers' Contest 2003-B

[Brooks Moses]

I state as a fact that a contest with an "entrance fee" is a fraud for
Imagine a plumber is told that there is a plumbing contest. The
plumber is told that if she comes to the contest advertiser's house,
pays the contest advertiser a $25 fee, and then fixes the contest
advertiser's sewage system, the plumber has a slight chance of being
paid for the job as a "prize." Is there anyone who would *NOT* say the
plumber has been defrauded, and that the "plumber's contest" was a
scam?

Well, yes; I would not say that.

"Fraud" is defined as "deception; use of false representations"
according to my dictionary. In the example you gave, the plumber was
told all of the details of the arrangement up front; nothing was falsely
represented, and thus there is no fraud involved. [1]

What there is, however, is a financial arrangement that is likely to be
quite unprofitable for the plumber, and the plumber would be ill-advised
to enter it.

- Brooks

[1] I leave aside the fact that, in your example, the plumber was merely
told of the contest; she did not, insofar as you describe, even enter it
-- clearly that would not count as being defrauded!

[Paul Yearwood]

Post by Brooks Moses

I state as a fact that a contest with an "entrance fee" is a fraud for
Imagine a plumber is told that there is a plumbing contest. The
plumber is told that if she comes to the contest advertiser's house,
pays the contest advertiser a $25 fee, and then fixes the contest
advertiser's sewage system, the plumber has a slight chance of being
paid for the job as a "prize." Is there anyone who would *NOT* say the
plumber has been defrauded, and that the "plumber's contest" was a
scam?

Well, yes; I would not say that.
"Fraud" is defined as "deception; use of false representations"
according to my dictionary. In the example you gave, the plumber was
told all of the details of the arrangement up front; nothing was falsely
represented, and thus there is no fraud involved. [1]
What there is, however, is a financial arrangement that is likely to be
quite unprofitable for the plumber, and the plumber would be ill-advised
to enter it.
- Brooks
[1] I leave aside the fact that, in your example, the plumber was merely
told of the contest; she did not, insofar as you describe, even enter it
-- clearly that would not count as being defrauded!

When a person buys a lottery ticket, it is that dollar that becomes the
prize and nobody complains about that. One well established writer's
magazine has contest all year long where the entrants pay a fee. That is
where the organizations get the money for the prizes. So it is not the fact
that people charge for contests, it is wether or not the contests pay off in
a manner that is equitable. If you want money for nothing invested, let your
writing be a grant application to the NEA.
Paul