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YOUNG WRITERS' COMPETITION: AUTUMN 2008

Results of SPRING 2008 competitions are here.

Results of NOVEMBER 2007 competitions here.

Our Anthology of Best Entries will be released in Spring 2009.

OTHER WRITING COMPETITIONS YOU MAY LIKE TO ENTER:
(Please note that we cannot take responsibility for experiences you have with other web sites or competitions; we are merely providing links. Always check validity before entering.)

Cat Writers' Association, Inc.

Dog Writers' Association of America

DEADLINE: 31st October 2008

This competition has two judging divisions: one for ages 8 to 12, and another
for ages 13 to 17 inclusive. Please be sure to include your age on your cover page!

We have a passion for developing young writers. We know that dreams of writing can begin very early, and we want to encourage children of all ages to pick up a pen and write!

For this competition we have waived the rule of having to send typed entries - we will accept hand-written submissions IF THEY ARE CLEAR and easy to read. Entries will be judged on imagination and creativity as our top criteria. If you are not able to understand the rules below (the language is a bit lofty in places; sorry!), please have an adult go through them with you and explain them.

PRIZES: First prize £50; second prize £20. Third prize is a book. Note that if there are enough entries, prizes may rise in value.

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: Final entries must be with us no later than 31st October 2008. Winners will be announced shortly before Christmas. What a great Christmas Bonus!

ENTRY FEE: There is a reading fee of £2.00 / US$4.00 / ZAR20.00 (special allowance for SA)  per entry. This can be paid either via PayPal (see below) or by cheque/check, or by deposit into one of our bank accounts (USA, South Africa, UK). Fees are NOT refundable - please ensure you read the rules carefully. If you are paying via PayPal, this can be done at the bottom of this page and will automatically be charged at £2.00 - so if you are in Southern Africa, it will be more than we are asking Southern African entrants; we suggest that you email us for our SA bank details, and make a direct deposit, or send us a cheque in Rands - see details at bottom of page.

CRITIQUES:  For our Young Writers entries, we will supply a brief critique, at no charge. Critiques will be done and sent after the winners have been announced.

GUIDELINES:

• Stories entered must NOT previously have won a prize or place in a competition, or been published or broadcast. This competition is to encourage fresh writing!
• Stories must be no longer than 2,000 words, and your own work - no copying. Plagiarism will not be accepted.
• We prefer EMAIL entries, as these are easier to send to all the judges; but paper or email entries are both acceptable. Mark your envelope or email, and the cover page of your entry, clearly with the competition title ("Young Writers Competition").
• If submitting a paper copy, PLEASE: do not staple your work. Staples have to be removed for scanning and our fingers and our time both ache!
• We acknowledge receipt, and notify winners, by email, so please include an email address if you have one. If you do not have an email address, we can let you know your entry has been received only if you include a stamped self-addressed postcard to be sent back to you.
• Entries can not be returned, as they have ID numbers put onto every page, and are then scanned for transfer to the judges. They are in no condition to be used again.
• File formats: .doc, .docx, .pdf, .wpd, .rtf, .txt. Please scan for viruses BEFORE sending!

HOW TO FORMAT YOUR ENTRIES:

• Please supply a separate page with Title, Your Name, Your Age, Address, Email, and the number of words in your story - the Word Count.
• Each page of the story must have page number and title of the story ONLY. Do not include your name on any page of the story itself. (All entries are given an ID reference number and separated from the cover page to ensure fair judging.)
• Entries may be typed or hand written, on one side of the paper only, and neatly set out. If possible please try to have your story typed up, to be sure we can read it easily. If you can't have it typed, please write it out with clear handwriting.
• If you are typing your story, please - no fancy fonts! We like good old 12-point Times New Roman, or a similar serif font.
• As a guideline, we like a good inch of margin on both sides as well as top and bottom. We prefer double spacing.
• Please check and "polish" your work carefully, to make it the very best you can. Writing is an artform, a craft, and artists must (a) know their craft and (b) take pride in their work. Do your best, always!

COMPETITION RULES:

• Entry submission indicates acceptance of all rules, guidelines, terms and conditions.
• Stories must be no longer than 2,000 words, in any style and on any subject. However, they must not promote racism, gratuitous sex or violence, foul language, or anything else that does not conform to good family and moral values (and we get to decide!).
• The competition is open to anyone worldwide under the age of 18 years, provided that the entry fee is received in either British Pounds, US Dollars or South African Rands.
• The competition closes on 31st October 2008, and winners will be announced and displayed on our web site by Christmas 2008.
• Prize winners will be notified by email as well as named on the web site; please ensure you supply a valid email address with your entry, even if sent in by post, unless you do not have one - in which case, please state this on your entry title page.
• Prizes paid via PayPal, cheque/check, or any other reasonable, cost-effective method.
• Prizes must be claimed within 30 days of being published on the web site and contacted by email. After 30 days, prizes will be forfeited.
• All entries must be written in English. Other languages will not be accepted.
• You may enter as many different works as you like, as long as each is accompanied by an entry fee.
• Entries must be in entirety the original work of the entrant, and the entrant must fully own the rights to enter this competition.
• Writers retain copyright, but give permission for their work to be published on this website at our discretion, and in any one future anthology produced by Sunpenny Publishing or its imprints.
• The judges' decision is final; no individual correspondence or disputes will be entered into.
• Deadlines and any other dates may be postponed by Sunpenny Publishing without notice in order to provide enough time to raise necessary costs through revenue for the competition, or for any other legitimate reason.
• We reserve the right to adjust these rules without notice.
• Entrants are responsible for completing the submission process effectively. We cannot take responsibility for entries lost in the post or in cyberspace. If you encounter problems, please let us know timeously.

TO ENTER:

Submitting your entry indicates acceptance of the rules as above; no refunds except for double payments. The entry fee can be paid either online (see below) or by cheque/check or bank deposit (see special note for Southern Africans). If you make your payment online, we will receive a notification automatically, and your entry will be acknowledged. If it has not been acknowledged within 48 hours, please contact us - something may have gone astray.

ADDRESSES FOR ENTRIES (no matter where you are sending from):

• Email entries:
  (please click, then type address in)
  
   
• Postal deliveries to:
  
  OPEN SHORT STORY COMPETITION
  Sunpenny Publishing
  Church Cottage North
  Ferry Road
  Carleton St. Peter
  Norfolk NR14 7BD
  United Kingdom 
   

FEE PAYMENTS: We accept payments either - ONLINE or BY POST:

By Post: we also accept cheques or money orders in US Dollars, British Pounds, Euros, and South African Rands. We are very sorry but we cannot accept payments in other currencies due to high Foreign Exchange charges. The best way for other currency payments is through PayPal or Nochex, which changes currencies into GB Pounds without high fees (see below). IMPORTANT NOTE:
US DOLLARS: payments must be made out to M. AMUNDSON.
BRITISH/EURO: make payments out to SUNPENNY PUBLISHING.
SOUTH AFRICAN RANDS: please email us for details of our ZA bank account for direct deposits, or make your cheques payable to S. CHESWORTH.

Online: credit or debit card via Nochex or PayPal, OR via your account with one of these, or any other online payment system you use which will allow us to collect the payment without difficulty and without having to join their system.

Credit or Debit card payments: Nochex (UK cards only) and PayPal (international cards) process our credit and debit card payments. You do NOT need to have an account with either of these; they simply process your payment. If you do have a problem making your payment, please contact us. To use either system, please click on a link below:

PayPal or Nochex Accounts: You are also welcome to pay via either of these using your own account with them. Links are below:

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