This is the time to set reasonable and achievable goals. Choose a competition at which you'll excel, and make sure it's far enough in the future that you have plenty of time to train effectively. Do some research into the judges and organizers as well to see what they look for in a winning competitor. Plenty of people get scared off by a competition's requirements and don't enter in the first place. Others drop out along the way. Since you've done your research, you can be confident in your choice to compete and your potential to win. So, stand strong even when you have your doubts and when others may be dropping out. Remember that you're not competing with everyone in the competition. There may be many applicants and candidates, but there will only be a few contenders and finalists. Focus on understanding and beating them. Determine who among your competition is strongest. This way, you can have an idea of who might be your most likely competition. First, you'll need to figure out who is likely to enter your competition. Look at past lists of competitors, and focus on the winners or those who placed in the top 10. You might also talk to fans, coaches, or writers who are knowledgeable about your sport or other competition. Review competitors' past performances. If possible, try to watch videos or read articles about your rivals' previous competitions. Look for strengths and weaknesses. Also observe overall strategy, bearing in mind how your own strategy might match up. You can't be in a competition if you don't enter. Apply carefully and review your application to ensure there aren't any mistakes. Pay any necessary entry fees. If the competition has an entry fee, pay it early, if possible, but definitely on time. Sometimes, early entry is cheaper or free as well, which is a plus. Also, remember to get a receipt. Enter early. This is particularly true if the competition involves judges reviewing some work product. In a short-story writing contest, for example, the bulk of entries tend to come toward the end of the submission period. Entering early allows you to have more of the undivided attention of the judges, while entering later might mean your submission is lost in the pile with everyone else's. You don't want any surprises on competition day. Learning the rules inside and out will help you excel on game day, and it will give you peace of mind and possibly even an edge over less prepared competitors. Understanding the rules will also help reduce the chances that you will be disqualified for breaking them.
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One-sentence summary -- Research and choose the right competition. Don't psych yourself out. Learn your competition. Enter the competition. Learn the rules.

To sue someone for breach of contract, you must first prove that the contract existed and was valid. While the word "contract" generally refers to a written document, a writing is not always necessary to create a contract. A contract may be written or oral. For example, if the parties agree to a contract with the intention of writing it down later, a contract is created even if the parties never actually write it down. If you have an oral contract, you may present evidence of that contract to the court to prove that you had an agreement with the other party. Oral contracts, however, may be difficult to prove. Some contracts must be in writing. The Statute of Frauds dictates which contracts must be in writing to be valid. Examples of contracts that must be in writing include contracts for: The sale of real estate or land Goods valued over $500 Paying another person's debt Marriage Agreements that will last longer than one year Transferring property after a death Breach of the contract occurs when a party who owes something under the contract fails to provide that good or service. This failure must be severe to be considered a breach. For instance, if you hired a contractor to paint your house, he would not breach the contract by showing up late, but would breach the contract by never showing up at all. All states have statutes of limitations. These are laws provide the time limit for filing a suit. The statutes vary based on your state as well as the circumstances of your case, the type of case, and whether you filed your claim in federal or state court. All of these factors will change the deadline for filing suit. The deadline for filing a civil suit, such as breach of contract, is generally between 2 and 6 years. Specific information on your state's statute of limitations for a contract claim can be found online. The time begins to run once you realize the contract has been breached. The law requires that a breach be serious and that it caused damages before a party may sue for breach of contract. Damages must be in the form of lost money. For example, imagine you are a painter and you make a contract to paint someone's house for $10,000, payable on completion. When you finish painting the house, the owner doesn't have the money. He pays you two days later. You will not usually have any damages from the delay. He still received a completely painted house and you still received $10,000, even if you did receive it a couple days later than you expected. Such minor differences from the contract agreement are not usually enough for a lawsuit. On the other hand, if you painted the house but the owner never paid you at all, you lost $10,000 worth of time and paint. This would be considered a material breach. Make sure that you keep records of any financial damages that you may have. Calculate any money that you have lost and any other negative effects you have suffered from the breach of contract. For example, even if you didn't directly lose money as a result of the breach, you can claim damages if you lost some other benefit that had a monetary value, such as a job.
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One-sentence summary --
Determine whether you have a valid contract. Determine whether a breach of contract has occurred. Determine whether you are within the statute of limitations. Determine if the breach is material and caused damages. Keep track of all damages.