ANDRE BEGIN

Through the years, I would have been considered a casual contest participant, throwing in a ballot here and there from time to time. My efforts paid off modestly in the form of the occasional free movie tickets, record albums and t-shirts.

However, in 1995, my luck changed.

With a little free time on my hands, I started entering contests more frequently. With a little persistence and patience, my efforts paid off. I won one contest, then another, and another…

The prizes started rolling in from radio contests, mail-in sweepstakes, in-store sweepstakes and raffles, to the point that I had to make room in my apartment for some of the free stuff. In addition, my social calendar was filling nicely as I was winning tickets to sporting events, concerts, movie premieres, special one-time-only events and free restaurant meals.

Amid my winning streak, I also was beyond delighted to win a few free trips. In 1996, I enjoyed a musical theatre themed weekend in Toronto. In 1997, I brought my Mom to New York City to take in a Broadway show and an evening of stand-up comedy. In 2000, I won an all-expense paid trip to the NHL All-Star game in Toronto where my guest and I were truly treated like VIPs.

In retrospect, to be good at contests, one pre-requisite that helped was being an optimist. As long as I had an ounce of hope and a positive attitude, anything was possible. You never knew when your name might get drawn.

When I would tell people of an event I just attended or a prize I just received courtesy of a contest win, some would respond, “Again?… You should write a book.”

At first, I didn’t give it much thought as I didn’t want to add to my competition. But when my own grandmother was inspired enough to fill in a ballot at her nearby pharmacy and ended up winning a beautiful gift basket of products, that was when the idea of writing a book truly started to sink in.

There were enough contests out there for everyone. With different prizes to cater to different interests, sharing my strategies might not be the hindrance to my chances that I originally thought. Given the joy, the smiles and the good times that my friends, family and I shared through contest wins, I started to see where a book might lend itself to others trying their hand and potentially sharing in the joy of a few casual wins.

Given my steady winning streak and respectable track record, in 2001, I felt I had sufficiently refined my strategies to put pen to paper and wrote a complete first draft of 79,000 words.

Unfortunately, in the time it took for the 7 rejection letters to come back from the publishers to whom I sent the book proposal, the contest landscape had already changed.

Where my strength was in having the free time to drive to stores and drop off ballots in person, a luxury of time that not many people had, the move to web-based contests leveled the playing field.

My book proposal became stale very quickly. Internet-based contests took off and pretty much anyone with a few minutes here and there, could participate in contests without ever leaving their home. That being the case, competition became fierce and my winning streak dried up completely.

Also, it is a very different time now. In this day and age, the reality of the buying and selling personal information can be a bit scary. When we don’t know what a company or agency will do with our information, if anyone wants to know more than my name, email address and phone number, I read EVERY WORD of the rules, regulations and privacy policy with my skeptical glasses on.

Back in the day, I was always selective, choosing to enter contests hosted by stores and companies I knew well. On the Internet, I am not always sure who I am dealing with. For that reason, it takes a different type of effort and vigilance now than it took during my winning streak and frankly, today, rather than spending time on contests, I would rather be writing.

All told, my lifetime record is more than 120 contest wins, totaling over $17,000 in cash and prizes… pretty much the same as a good Showcase on “The Price Is Right”!

In the time I was actively taking part in contests, I had a lot of fun. The quality time I was able to spend with family, friends and colleagues while attending those events together is the source of many fond memories and stories, and for that I will always be very grateful.

The other blessing in the contest experience is the fact that it spurred me into sitting down and actually stringing 79,000 words together and writing my first book. The fact that it will never see the light of day is irrelevant.

It just served as a life lesson to me that sitting down and writing something of that length and magnitude is possible for me. I did it once and can surely do it again with a little discipline, a lot of heart and a good source of inspiration.

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Sincere thanks for reading!
Have a great day,
André