Latest Prize Winner Announced
for AWAI's 4 Days to
$400 Writing Challenge

Winner Announcement: Jim McCaffree

Congratulations to Jim McCaffree, who wrote a winning blog post in our latest round of AWAI's 4 Days to $400 Writing Challenge for new freelance writers.

This training program is for aspiring professional freelance writers learning the ropes of effective content writing through American Writers & Artists Institute (AWAI).

Participants were challenged to write a "how to" or "listicle" blog post for AWAI readers, who are aspiring and working direct-response copywriters and content specialists.

The Challenge was to write a 1,000-word blog post that takes a fresh spin on the idea of how to write for money, which is what AWAI is all about. Participants followed four days of lessons on blog-writing best practices and how to find clients. They also scrutinized a variety of blog posts from different industries and audience types, studying the formulas that work best for business blogging. And they were given a chance to submit their best effort for the chance at a $400 prize.

The AWAI Editorial Team chose Jim’s winning post titled, “7 Mindset Shifts for Freelance Writing Success.”

In this short video below, AWAI learning chief Pam Foster explains why Jim’s blog post stood above the rest.

Watch Video

Here’s what Jim had to say about his post and the big news:

"While I've some written some blogs for a friend and some humor blogs for my personal amusement, I haven’t approached blogging with a purpose or strategy before. So I enrolled in the "4 Days” program to learn structure and a systematic approach to writing a blog, and Pam delivered. The program gave me the confidence to put myself out there as a blogger and professional writer.“

Congratulations to Jim and to everyone who took the time to submit an entry. All participants who completed a blog post now have a finished sample of an in-demand project for their portfolio.

It can be your turn next! To enroll in our 4 Days to $400 Writing Challenge, check out the details here.

To discover more opportunities to get paid as a writer, be sure to read our daily e-letter, The Writer’s Life, and visit AWAI to browse through our many copywriter training programs.

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Published: October 17, 2025

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