As a newbie writer, you often wonder: Can entering writing contests help me to get noticed? Or should I rather spend all my time working on my book?

Let’s investigate these contests, giving you the information you need to decide for yourself.

Pros:
- Prices can vary from money to an opportunity to publish your work. Extra cash can enable you to hire a professional cover designer, proofreader, or editor for your book. 
- Entering a contest improves your writing skills since you must conform to a deadline for entering and specific guidelines for the piece you want to submit. For example, a word count limit forces you to express yourself using only the most essential words. 
- A critical aspect of any written work is formatting. Every contest will have its requirements regarding the formatting of the piece you enter. Thus you will get to know the formatting options of the software you use and discover various creative ways to use them when formatting your book. 
- If you are a freelance writer, you often need to write according to a brief provided by your client(s). When you enter a contest, the judges will only consider your entry if you follow the rules. It teaches you to pay attention to details, a valuable skill when working with clients. 
- Although you can ask someone else to proofread your work before entering, you are the final proofreader and editor when you enter a writing contest. In this way, you develop valuable skills and techniques. And when it is time to publish your book, it can save you money because your proofreader and editor will have less work to do!
- Winning a writing contest from established sites like Readers' Favorite or Writers Digest builds trust with readers and can boost your sales. 
- A golden opportunity is when you find a contest with no entry fees that only ask for the right to publish your story once and publish it at standard market rates. These are often calls for submission mislabeled as a writing contest. 

Cons:
- Often, you may need to pay a certain amount to enter. All these amounts contribute towards the prize money and pay staff and judges involved in the contest’s administration. 
- Winning a contest can mean losing your work’s publishing rights. Thus you need to carefully check the terms and conditions before entering. 
- Entering a writing contest can lead to receiving many marketing emails from the sponsors, or the contest runners can publish your story in an anthology. Not only won’t you share in the sales proceeds, but many of the stories can be of low quality - thus harming your reputation.
- Many writing contests are scams. Typically these are free to enter and ask for a specific piece, like a poem or short story. Soon you will receive the good news that your work will be published, and would you send X amount for a copy? Not only will you not receive the anthology and lose the money, but your poem or story will most likely be published and sold without royalties paid to you!

Now that you have the facts about writing contests, you can decide if it is worthwhile to enter. Alternatively, you can practice writing according to the guidelines without submitting it - thus gaining some benefits without taking any risks!

Sources
Are Writing Contests Worth It? 
https://self-publishingschool.com/writing-contests/#:~:text=Prize%20Money,-Let%27s%20be%20honest&text=These%20prizes%20can%20be%20small,some%20money%20and%20save%20up.
Are You Thinking about Entering a Writing Contest?
https://wnba-books.org/are-you-thinking-about-entering-a-writing-contest/
Six Reasons You Shouldn’t Enter Writing Contests
https://mythcreants.com/blog/six-reasons-you-shouldnt-enter-writing-contests/
Writing Competitions: Opportunity Or Scam – By Ginny Swart
https://www.writerscollegeblog.com/writing-competitions-opportunity-or-scam-by-ginny-swart/