Last year I entered a photography contest sponsored by Carpe Articulum (http://www.carpearticulum.com/). I'm posting this warning here because their major focus is on fiction contests so my experience is of relevance to writers as well as photographers.

The deadline for the contest was August 30, 2010. When I didn't hear anything or see winners for photography posted on the Website by January of 2011 but did see announcement for fiction winners, I wrote an email to editor-in-chief Hadassah Broscova, who told me I had placed but that they had not yet posted winners. She told me they loved my work and invited me to submit more photos, so I did. That was the last I ever heard from her (January 2011).

I have never been officially notified of placing in the contest although eventually the winners in photography did get posted on the Website - that's how I found out I won second prize - but a year after contest deadline I have yet to receive the prize of $200. I don't believe my photo has been published as promised, either, or if it has, I can't find it. Four followup emails have not been answered, so on July 18 2011 I wrote her a snail mail letter, which has not been answered as of August 22 - more than enough time even allowing for a busy editorial schedule and/or slow mail. I paid $75 to enter three photos - bye bye $75.

A Red Room author reported a great experience with Broscova after winning a prize in one of the Carpe Articulum contests but I forget now who it was.  I went to rather extreme lengths to give Broscova a chance to respond because of that good report from the other Red Room author, but four unanswered emails and one unanswered letter over a period of eight months is overwhelming evidence, to me, that something is very wrong on their end.  But if you have had a good experience with the magazine do post a comment. I have no desire to vilify someone who doesn't deserve it although it would take a lot of convincing to change my mind about my own experience at this point.