Strike it lucky
Winning isn't everything but it's the only thing this Canberra author writes of...
Sherry Sjolander always believed she was terminally unlucky. "I'd never even won the local chook raffle," the Canberra author explains. "I'd never won anything." Then she stumbled across an article about competition websites. "I was very sceptical," Sjolander admits. "I actually started entering competitions to prove them wrong. I assumed that unless you're extremely lucky, you just don't win."
Those first impressions now lie buried beneath an avalanche of jackpots. Sjolander wins $50,000 to $60,000 worth of prizes every year. Highlights have included a year's supply of groceries and petrol, a $10,000 all-expenses holiday and a big-screen TV. How to Win Competitions passes on her systematic approach to maximising your chances.
Sjolander reveals the world of online comping clubs and gives tips on winning "words or less" challenges (limericks and rhymes are best). She explains how to submit multiple SMS entries (send them one after another to take up a block of space on the promoter's computer) and untangles terms and conditions.
In the parallel world of full-time "compers" it's not just the taking part that counts. Sjolander admits her grocery shopping is often determined by competition coupons. She recently bought a six-month supply of turkey from the supermarket deli just to amass the requisite barcodes. "You get some very strange looks at the checkout,"
Every year in Australia, a billion dollars worth of prizes are up for grabs. "It's a massive industry, but people just flick past these competitions because they think they're not lucky," Sjolander says. "But I think it's an ideal way for people to supplement the family income."
So has Sjolander's luck finally changed? "My husband and I are getting divorced in August," she concedes.
"It's probably because he'd had enough of all the turkey."
How to Win Competitions is out July 9 (Allen & Unwin) $19.95