Enter a online essay contest, win a used-book store!
The winner of an essay contest will be the proud owner of a used bookstore if Karen Tolly has her way according to this New York Times story (registration required). I suppose this falls into the category of growing skill-based contests that are thriving online for both the winners and the companies running them:
Ms. Tolley found plenty of models for her contest on the Web. Mark Samwick, a 53-year-old Web-page designer in Wilmington, N.C., started a Web site five years ago to help along such contests. Since then, his Web site, essaycontests.com, has helped promote about 70 competitions for homes, cars, planes, small businesses and even a golf course. He said he had compiled a mailing list of about 1,500 essay writers, many of whom enter repeatedly.
Ms. Tolley decided she needed a minimum of 2,000 entries to hold the drawing, planning to raise at least $500,000 or return all the fees. She also pledged to give $25,000 in start-up money to the winner, as well as $5,000 each to 20 runners-up. "Succesful contests seem not to be approaching it in a greedy way," she said.
Ms. Tolley expected to make more than $250,000, after about $15,000 in marketing expenses and her legal fees. The winner would get a profitable store with a monthly rent of $1,400 and the equivalent of about four and a half full-time employees.