About

ABOUT CAROLYN WILMAN

Carolyn Wilman is a marketing strategist, author, publisher, and educator who has spent more than thirty years helping individuals and businesses win. She is best known as the Contest Queen, one of North America’s leading experts on sweepstakes, contests, and giveaways, and as the founder of Words For Winning, a growing hub for mindset and manifestation teachings inspired by Helene Hadsell, Tag Powell, and other legacy authors.

Her work spans marketing, writing, publishing, speaking, and community education, with a consistent focus on empowerment through knowledge and practical strategy.

Early Career and Entrepreneurial Roots

Carolyn began her career in marketing in 1994 when she founded Imagination Edge Inc., a consulting firm that supported small businesses that needed professional marketing without the cost of a full-time department. She developed On-Demand and Relief Marketing services, an innovative approach at the time that gave entrepreneurs access to experienced guidance during peak workloads or project-specific needs.

This early foundation shaped her ability to build systems, simplify complex information, and create frameworks others could follow, which later influenced her work with Contest Queen and Words For Winning.

Teacher, Author, and Contesting Expert

In 2004, after stepping back from consulting to raise her daughter and manage the business backend, Carolyn combined her lifelong contesting hobby with her professional marketing expertise. This led to her first book, You Cannot Win If You Do Not Enter, published in 2006, the first Internet-focused contest resource book in Canada. To support readers, she launched Contest Queen, a comprehensive online hub that provided contesting resources that had never been available in one place before. The site offered links to contesting communities, forums, management companies, tools, and software, giving sweepers a central source of reliable information and practical guidance.

As sweepstaking evolved, Carolyn continued to expand and update her work. In 2016, she released How to Win Cash, Cars, Trips & More!, a significantly revised second edition that reflected the rise of digital contests and social media promotions. Her newest edition, Prizes, Prizes, Everywhere!, will be published in 2026 and incorporates the latest trends, platforms, and best practices for winning in the modern contest landscape.

Across all editions of her books and through the systems she teaches, Carolyn’s Online Contesting System has helped others win millions of dollars in cash and prizes. Through her blog, From the Contest Queen, along with workshops, webinars, livestreams, and private coaching, she continues to teach sweepers how to stay current, avoid scams, streamline their entry process, and enjoy the hobby with confidence and enthusiasm.

Writing and Publishing: The Evolution Into Words For Winning

In 2019, Carolyn took on a long-standing challenge to preserve and expand Helene Hadsell’s legacy. She acquired the full rights to Helene’s work and began updating, editing, and republishing each title so new readers could discover Helene’s SPEC method and philosophy.

Contesting: The Name It and Claim It Game returned to print first, followed by In Contact With Other Realms, Confessions of an 83-Year-Old Sage, and Helene’s novel, A Man Called Friday. As Helene always wanted, Carolyn also oversaw the production of her audiobooks to bring these teachings to an even wider audience.

This work grew into Words For Winning, her dedicated publishing and teaching platform. Here she continues to produce new editions, ebooks, and audiobooks, while also curating unpublished writings, archival material, and legacy recordings. She develops educational tools such as the SPEC meditation and teaches through livestreams, workshops, interviews, and the Words of Wisdom newsletter. Words For Winning brings readers both the practical and spiritual sides of personal transformation and complements the tactical strategies she teaches in Contest Queen, creating a complete system for anyone who wants to win more often and with greater confidence.

Sweepstakes Marketing and Industry Leadership

In 2014, Carolyn launched Idea Majesty to meet the growing need for social media marketing services and digital promotional support among small and mid-size businesses. Her dual experience as both a marketer and a contest entrant gives her a rare perspective that helps companies design promotions that are both compliant and engaging. She consults on contest structure, digital campaign design, user experience, and regulatory considerations. Her approach ensures that promotions run smoothly, align with business goals, and remain enjoyable and accessible to participants.

Awards, Recognition, and Professional Milestones

Carolyn’s expertise has been recognized across multiple industries. Highlights include:

  • Featured on the cover of Marketing Magazine
  • Named one of Canada’s Top 40 Women over 40 by MORE Magazine
  • Appeared in the premiere episode of High Stakes Sweepers on TLC
  • Nominated for the RBC Canadian Woman Entrepreneur of the Year three consecutive years
  • Nominated for Entrepreneur of the Year by the Whitby Chamber of Commerce
  • Runner Up for You Cannot Win If You Do Not Enter at the DIY Book Festival, twice
  • Competent Communicator and Competent Leader designations from Toastmasters International
  • Advanced Leadership Bronze and Advanced Communication Bronze from Toastmasters International

Her work continues to be featured across television, radio, podcasts, digital media, and print publications.

Today

Carolyn now divides her time between Contest Queen and Words For Winning. Together, these platforms allow her to teach both the strategy of winning and the mindset behind it. Whether she is publishing a long-lost manuscript, teaching a sweepstakes workshop, producing a livestream, or coaching individuals toward their goals, her mission remains the same: to help people win more often and with greater joy, both in contests and in life.

Imagination Edge Inc. officially closed in 2009.