YOUNG WRITERS COMPETITION
This competition is only for writers who are up to and including the age of 14
by 31st May 2008.

UPDATE!!! - NEW DEADLINE: MAY 31st 2008
Deadline extended due to our suddenly obtaining a stand at the London Book Fair, and resulting manic preparations - we simply need more time; we apologise for any inconvenience!

We have a passion for developing new 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 May 2008. Winners will be announced by the end of July.

ENTRY FEE: There is a small reading fee of only £1.50 / US$3.00 / ZAR15.00 (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 and abide by them. If you are paying via PayPal, this can be done at the bottom of this page and will automatically be charged at £1.50 - so if you are in South Africa, it will be more than we are asking South African entrants; we suggest that South Africans email us for our SA bank details, and make a direct deposit.

CRITIQUES: For our children's entries we will supply a brief critique, at no charge. Critiques will be sent after the winners have been announced.

PLEASE NOTE: Entries can not be returned, as they have ID numbers put onto every page, and are then scanned for transfer to the American judges, and copied for the UK judges. They are in no condition to be used again, so please don't ask us to return them.

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!
• Please be sure you have the rights to enter this competition; entrants take full responsibility for copyright issues.
• Stories must be no longer than 2,000 words.
• 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 you want your work returned to you by post, please supply a stamped, self-addressed return envelope with either UK or International postage.
• We acknowledge receipt of entries by email, so please include an email address if you have one. If you have not supplied an email address, we cannot let you know your entry has been received, unless you include a stamped self addressed postcard which we can send back to you.
• File formats accepted, attached to email entries: .rtf, .doc, .docx, .pdf, .txt. Please scan files carefully for viruses BEFORE sending!

ENTRY FORMAT:

• Please supply a separate page or document file with the story's title, your name, your age, your postal address, and your email address, and the total number of words in your story.
• Each page of the story must have a page number, and the title of the story ONLY.
• DO NOT include your name or any other identifier on any page of the story itself, except the title. All entries will be given an entry number on receipt, and then separated from the cover page. This is to ensure fair judging. Great care will be taken to ensure the correct link up of your details and your work, we promise!
• Entries may be typed or hand written, on one side of the paper only, and neatly set out.
• As a guideline, we like a good inch of margin on both sides as well as top and bottom. We prefer double spacing but single is fine.
• Please "polish" your work carefully, to make it the very best you can. Writing is an art, and an artist 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, 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 up to and including the age of 14 by the 31st May 2008, provided that the fee is received in either British Pounds, US Dollars or South African Rands.
• There is a fee of £1.50 / US$3.00 / ZAR15.00 per entry. This can be paid either via PayPal or by cheque/check. Fees are NOT refundable. Please see full details on Entry Fees above.
• The competition closes on 31st May 2008, and winners will be announced and displayed on our web site by the end of July 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 will be paid via PayPal, by cheque/check, or in any other reasonable and cost-effective manner.
• 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 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.
• 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.

There is a reading fee - see details at top of page. This can be paid either online (see buttons below) or by cheque/check (see special note for Southern Africans). Fees are NOT refundable - please ensure you read the rules carefully and abide by them.  Every entry must be accompanied by a payment. 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.

WE PREFER PAYMENT BY PAYPAL (via the buttons below - they take credit cards too and you don't have to be a member to make payments through them); however, instructions for other payments are further down.

We also accept payment by cheque/check or money order in US Dollars, British Pounds, Euros, and South African Rands.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PAYMENTS BY CHEQUE/CHECK OR MONEY/POSTAL ORDER:

If you are paying US DOLLARS, payments must be made out to M. AMUNDSON.

BRITISH/EURO payments must be made out to J. HOLLOWAY or to SUNPENNY PUBLISHING.

If you are paying in SOUTH AFRICAN RANDS then please email us below for details of our bank account in SA for direct deposits.

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

• Email entries: (please click, then type address in)
  
   
• The address for postal deliveries is:
  
  YOUNG WRITERS COMPETITION
  Sunpenny Publishing
  Church Cottage North
  Ferry Road
  Carleton St. Peter
  Norfolk NR14 7BD
  United Kingdom
   
   

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