Cooking contests pay big dividends to their sponsors. That’s obvious by the prizes. For example, Pillsbury awards $1 million to the winner of its Bake-Off. The company needs to sell a lot of crescent rolls and brownie mix to make that expenditure worthwhile.

Now Cooking Light magazine is gearing up for its fourth reader recipe contest. The grand prize is $20,000. Not a cool million, but still a lot of dough.

This year’s CL contest has four categories: starters and drinks, sides and salads, family dinners and desserts. Category winners take home $5,000. It also has a slew of corporate sponsors (Annie’s Naturals, Al Fresco Al Natural, Bird’s Eye Foods, Bush’s Beans, Eggland’s Best, Kerrygold cheeses and butters, Nakano, Newman’s Own pasta sauces, Stacey’s Pita Chips and Swanson Broth), and least one of the sponsoring products must be used in each submission.

The deadline to enter is May 31. You can find the rules at www.cookinglight.com/cooking/perks.

Meanwhile, if you’re looking for inspiration, here’s a link to the winning recipes in last year’s contest:

Grand prize: Caribbean Shrimp Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

Starters and Beverages category winner: Korean-Spiced Beef and Cabbage Rolls

Desserts winner: Carrot Cake With Toasted Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Sides and Salads winner: Oatmeal Knots