Word-Whore Tuesday: Pay-to-Play Contests

Lt. Dan from "Forest Gump"

Should you pay to participate in a writing contest? Are book awards that allow anyone to participate for the price of an entrance fee less respectable than those that are free yet require peer nominations from within a closed club/association/organization? Can you still win without winning the grand prize?

All week long, the seven authors writing across multiple genres pick apart the pros, cons, ethics, and values of contests targeting authors and their work(s).