THIS COMPETITION CLOSED as at 12 noon 18th September 2014
Keep an eye on our website for further competitions coming soon!
Open Short Story Competition
closes September 2014
Judge - Malcolm Welshman
http://www.malcolmwelshman.co.uk/
Seven prizes to win:
£100 First, £50 Second,
£25 Third, £25 Fourth*
two 'Highly Commended' each win
2015 comp free entry
and a charitable donation will be made
2,000 words maximum
Entry fee: £3.00 for one entry,
£5.00 for two, £2.50 thereon
Closes Thursday 18th September 2014
Please scroll down to the end of the page to read Rules of Entry
There is no theme for this competition, you can write anything you like. There
is no minimum word count and the maximum is 2,000 words.
We enjoy reading entries from novice writers and from the more experienced.
Please indicate on the entry form if you have entered either the
'New Writer' or 'Open' category.
Details in Rules of Entry below.
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO READ RULES OF ENTRY
We're delighted Malcolm Welshman is our judge.
Malcolm began writing when he first joined a small animal veterinary hospital in West Sussex as a young vet, and started to attend evening classes in creative writing. The exploits at the hospital were the source of ‘Interesting Stories from a Vet’s Casebook’, a series of anecdotal tales that ran in ‘My Weekly’ for fifteen years.
He went on to write a couple of booklets on kittens and puppies while continuing to dabble in features, providing copy for a variety of magazines such as People’s Friend, Yours, Parrot Magazine and Cat World.
On retiring from practice, he decided to write a novel, the outline of which had lain dormant in his files for ten years. Conceived in December 2005, ‘Pets in Prospect’ was born six weeks later in January 2006. The second publisher he approached, Robert Hale, accepted the book and it was published in hardback, paperback, large print, audio, Czech and Japanese. The subsequent publicity saw Malcolm give over 24 radio interviews and more than 40 talks, including four Literary Festivals.
The book was reissued as Pets in a Pickle in May 2011 by John Blake Publishers; and the ebook version reached number two on Kindle’s bestseller list in September where it remained for two weeks.
The sequel, Pets on Parade, was published in April 2012 and the third is currently being written.
Malcolm continues to write features with contributions to Somerset Life, Sussex Life, Daily Mail and The Sunday Times.
http://www.malcolmwelshman.co.uk/
Malcolm began writing when he first joined a small animal veterinary hospital in West Sussex as a young vet, and started to attend evening classes in creative writing. The exploits at the hospital were the source of ‘Interesting Stories from a Vet’s Casebook’, a series of anecdotal tales that ran in ‘My Weekly’ for fifteen years.
He went on to write a couple of booklets on kittens and puppies while continuing to dabble in features, providing copy for a variety of magazines such as People’s Friend, Yours, Parrot Magazine and Cat World.
On retiring from practice, he decided to write a novel, the outline of which had lain dormant in his files for ten years. Conceived in December 2005, ‘Pets in Prospect’ was born six weeks later in January 2006. The second publisher he approached, Robert Hale, accepted the book and it was published in hardback, paperback, large print, audio, Czech and Japanese. The subsequent publicity saw Malcolm give over 24 radio interviews and more than 40 talks, including four Literary Festivals.
The book was reissued as Pets in a Pickle in May 2011 by John Blake Publishers; and the ebook version reached number two on Kindle’s bestseller list in September where it remained for two weeks.
The sequel, Pets on Parade, was published in April 2012 and the third is currently being written.
Malcolm continues to write features with contributions to Somerset Life, Sussex Life, Daily Mail and The Sunday Times.
http://www.malcolmwelshman.co.uk/
PETS ON PARADE
In Malcolm's follow up to the number one bestseller, Pets in a Pickle, the
young vet, Paul Mitchell, is spellbound by a medium with her spooked cat and
tricked by a magician with his poorly rabbit, not to mention his encounters with
trophy hunting cats, a runaway fox and a gored ostrich, which all add to the
parade of pets that weave a colourful path through Paul's rollercoaster life.
This whirlwind ride of delightful encounters will engage readers and keep them
gripped to the glorious, cliff-hanger ending.
To order your copy, either contact John Blake Publishing on 0207 381 0666 and quote
Erewash Writers Competition for a special discount price of £5.50 (incl P&P) or amazon.co.uk where the Kindle version is 76p.
Amazon link http://tinyurl.com/8y72v3e
Read Dora's blog at
Amazon review: ''Sir Terry Wogan said of www.sixtyplusurfers.co.uk
Welshman's first novel, 'It's fun and should under Pet Care
bring a smile to your face.' Well it not only
applies to this novel but quite surpasses it.''
RULES OF ENTRY
Open Short Story Competition (Summer 2014)
PLEASE MAKE CHEQUES PAYABLE TO D WILKINSON
Judge Malcolm Welshman
2,000 words maximum
Entry fee: £3.00 for one entry, £5.00 for two, £2.50 thereon
Closes Thursday 18th September 2014
Seven prizes to win, two categories of entry:
£100 First, £50 Second, £25 Third, £25 Fourth*
two 'Highly Commended' win 2015 comp free entry
and a charitable donation will be made
*Fourth prize will automatically be awarded to a 'New Writer' on the shortlist if the 'Open' category
wins First and Second prizes.
There is no theme, you can write anything you like. There is no minimum word count although the maximum is 2,000 words.
1 Decide if you are going to enter the 'New Writer' or 'Open' category.
You're a new writer if
- you’ve never had a paid article or story published in a magazine, newspaper or on-line
- you’ve never won a competition or been runner-up (regardless of whether it was published or not)
- you’ve done none of the above but you have written (or posted work on) a blog; had letters published in a
magazine or if you’ve written for a non-profit making publication and not been paid (eg: an article for the
local parish magazine or a school magazine).
If you’re in any doubt, email Debbie who will tell you whether you qualify as a 'New Writer’. If you think you
might be ‘borderline’ then please avoid this category.
If you enter under the 'New Writer' category for this competition, you are eligible to enter our 'New Writer Competition January 2015' at a discounted entry fee of £2.
2 All entries must be in English. Double line spacing is preferable. Use a font size of 12 or 14. Make sure word count is included at the end of your entry. Page number and title of entry is permitted on each page. As entries will be judged anonymously please ensure the entry form is completed. You can find the entry form using the link below.
Email Debbie if you have any problems.
http://erewashwriterscompetition.weebly.com/2014-entry-form-open-short-story-competition.html
3 Entry can be made either by email or by post.
3 (i) Entry by EMAIL: Send your completed entry form in the body of an email to Debbie at
erewashwriterscomps(at)hotmail.co.uk. The subject heading of your email will be:
ENTRY OPEN 2014 (your name) eg ENTRY OPEN 2014 (Debbie Wilkinson).
It is preferable you send your entry attached to this email although you can send your entry in the body of the entry form email if you prefer, or in the body of a separate email subject heading EMAILED ENTRY OPEN 2014 (your name).
If you send an attachment, please send each entry as a separate attachment in WORD and make sure the title of the attachment or file is exactly the same as the story title you put on the entry form.
Attachments will be opened when your payment has cleared so expect a slight delay between sending your entry and confirmation of receipt. For this reason, we suggest the earlier you send your entry, the better it will be for your peace
of mind.
If you wish to enter by email, you can either send your entry fee in a cheque or postal order separately through the post, or you can use Paypal, or bank transfer. Please see note (7) below about how to make a payment.
3 (ii) Entry by POST: Complete the entry form and enclose it with your entry/fee. Make sure you do not put anything on the entry to identify yourself. All entries are judged anonymously and any identifying marks will result in your entry not being entered into competition and we will retain the fee.
Send two copies of your entry.
Ensure correct postage is paid otherwise your entry will remain at the sorting office. Our postal address is:
EWG Competition, Parklands Connexion, Stanhope Street, Long Eaton, NG10 4QN.
You can enclose entries to more than one competition in one envelope if you wish. Please make sure each entry is accompanied by the correct entry form. It is acceptable to fold your entry once only if you wish to use a
smaller size envelope.
If you require an entry form and the Rules of Entry to be sent to you by post, please provide us with a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
4 Entries will be acknowledged by email. PLEASE ENSURE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IS WRITTEN CLEARLY otherwise we will not be able to provide confirmation of receipt. Your email address is seen by only our competition organiser and is not passed on to anyone. It's used only to contact you to confirm receipt of entry, and to inform you of our further competitions.
If you don’t use email and wish to send a self-addressed stamped postcard, we will use that to acknowledge your entry.
5 There is no theme for this competition. It is an OPEN themed competition. You can write about anything you want.
6 No minimum word count, maximum 2,000 words, not including title. Please ensure to include the word count on your entry form and at the end of your entry.
7 PAYMENT
PLEASE MAKE CHEQUES PAYABLE TO D WILKINSON
£3.00 for one entry, £5.00 for two entries, £2.50 per entry thereon. We accept payment by cheque, Paypal, postal order or bank transfer. We do not advise you send cash by post although we will accept payment by cash.
You can enter as many times as you wish but only one entry per entrant can win a prize. Every entry must be accompanied by the appropriate payment.
If you wish to pay by Paypal, please send your entry form and entry first, then contact Debbie for the Paypal address.
NB: If Paypal's rates increase before end of Sept 2014 we may have to change this point in the Rules. Please add 50p to your total if paying for one or two entries with Paypal, to ensure Paypal’s transaction fee is met. We receive 18p and 11p respectively out of this fee. Please contact Debbie to clarify total amount payable if your total will be more than £5.50, for example, you wish to pay also for a critique.
8 Entrants can be any age. All entries will be judged anonymously and no allowance made for age.
9 We would like to publish your story on this website and we will remove it at a later date if you require us to do so. You are welcome to put a link to your blog, website or email with your winning entry if you wish.
10 If they wish, winners can be published on EWG's website, blogs and Twitter:
Website
http://erewashwriterscompetition.weebly.com/blog.html
EWG's Facebook pages
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Writing-Workshops-and-Competitions/182306558595298?fref=ts
Debbie's blog
http://www.writingworkshopsandcompetitions.blogspot.co.uk/
and links will be tweeted from @EWGCompetition
11 Copyright remains with author.
12 Please do not send entries which have been previously published. Entries must be the original work of the entrant. We do not want to read entries found to be in print or online anywhere, including blogs.
13 Please do not send entries that have received an award from other competitions, or anywhere else. Please do not send entries currently waiting to be judged in other competitions, or that have been submitted for publication and are awaiting response.
14 Closing date for the competition is noon (GMT) Thursday 18th September 2014. . Entries received after this date/time may not be entered into the competition although we will retain the fee. Winners will be announced on this site, on or before Sunday 30th November 2014
15 PRIZES
Seven prizes - £100 First, £50 Second, £25 Third, £25 Fourth*
two 'Highly Commended' win 2015 comp free entry, a charitable donation will be made
*Fourth prize will be awarded to a 'New Writer' on the shortlist if the 'Open' category wins First and Second prizes. If a 'New Writer' entry wins First or Second prizes, fourth prize will be awarded to either category.
16 The judge's decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into.
17 No corrections will be accepted.
18 Critique service: A basic critique for your entry can be provided, with notes on opening, ending, characterisation, etc for £3.00. A detailed critique service is also available, which includes advice about how to improve any weak areas in your story, a rewrite and more feedback for £10.00. We accept non-competition submissions and will consider works with a high word count.
Please email Debbie for more information at erewashwriterscomps(at)hotmail.co.uk
If you would like to receive a critique, please send a cheque payable to D Wilkinson for the correct amount to EWG Competition, Parklands Connexion, Stanhope St, Long Eaton, NG10 4QN or request Paypal details with your entry.
19 There are things we do not expect to have to read. Unless it's intrinsic to the plot or motivation of the characters do not send us stories containing overt cruelty to vulnerable members of society.
20 Entry implies acceptance of the rules.
21 No refunds given. Only exception to this rule will be if the organisers cancel the competition (eg if not enough entries have been received to cover the prize fund).
Our Open Competitions have so far raised £160 for charity.
We will make another donation after this competition. The amount we start every competition with is £25 and provided we receive a good response, this amount will increase as the competition progresses. When you send an entry you can
nominate your favourite UK charity or voluntary organisation for the donation with a few words to explain how your chosen good cause will make use of our donation. After the close date we will put nominations into a hat and one will be drawn to win the cash donation. Any UK charity or voluntary organisation is eligible to be nominated.
SHORT STORY WRITING COURSE: We are pleased to offer a Short Story Writing Course. This course is suitable for beginners and for those who have been writing for a while yet would appreciate a helping hand. Our six-module course is £36 and this fee is discounted to £33 for those who enter the Open Competition 2014, and for those who entered the Open Competition in previous years. Please contact Debbie erewashwriterscomps(at)hotmail.co.uk to find out more or if you wish to
enrol on the course.
PLEASE MAKE CHEQUES PAYABLE TO D WILKINSON
Judge Malcolm Welshman
2,000 words maximum
Entry fee: £3.00 for one entry, £5.00 for two, £2.50 thereon
Closes Thursday 18th September 2014
Seven prizes to win, two categories of entry:
£100 First, £50 Second, £25 Third, £25 Fourth*
two 'Highly Commended' win 2015 comp free entry
and a charitable donation will be made
*Fourth prize will automatically be awarded to a 'New Writer' on the shortlist if the 'Open' category
wins First and Second prizes.
There is no theme, you can write anything you like. There is no minimum word count although the maximum is 2,000 words.
1 Decide if you are going to enter the 'New Writer' or 'Open' category.
You're a new writer if
- you’ve never had a paid article or story published in a magazine, newspaper or on-line
- you’ve never won a competition or been runner-up (regardless of whether it was published or not)
- you’ve done none of the above but you have written (or posted work on) a blog; had letters published in a
magazine or if you’ve written for a non-profit making publication and not been paid (eg: an article for the
local parish magazine or a school magazine).
If you’re in any doubt, email Debbie who will tell you whether you qualify as a 'New Writer’. If you think you
might be ‘borderline’ then please avoid this category.
If you enter under the 'New Writer' category for this competition, you are eligible to enter our 'New Writer Competition January 2015' at a discounted entry fee of £2.
2 All entries must be in English. Double line spacing is preferable. Use a font size of 12 or 14. Make sure word count is included at the end of your entry. Page number and title of entry is permitted on each page. As entries will be judged anonymously please ensure the entry form is completed. You can find the entry form using the link below.
Email Debbie if you have any problems.
http://erewashwriterscompetition.weebly.com/2014-entry-form-open-short-story-competition.html
3 Entry can be made either by email or by post.
3 (i) Entry by EMAIL: Send your completed entry form in the body of an email to Debbie at
erewashwriterscomps(at)hotmail.co.uk. The subject heading of your email will be:
ENTRY OPEN 2014 (your name) eg ENTRY OPEN 2014 (Debbie Wilkinson).
It is preferable you send your entry attached to this email although you can send your entry in the body of the entry form email if you prefer, or in the body of a separate email subject heading EMAILED ENTRY OPEN 2014 (your name).
If you send an attachment, please send each entry as a separate attachment in WORD and make sure the title of the attachment or file is exactly the same as the story title you put on the entry form.
Attachments will be opened when your payment has cleared so expect a slight delay between sending your entry and confirmation of receipt. For this reason, we suggest the earlier you send your entry, the better it will be for your peace
of mind.
If you wish to enter by email, you can either send your entry fee in a cheque or postal order separately through the post, or you can use Paypal, or bank transfer. Please see note (7) below about how to make a payment.
3 (ii) Entry by POST: Complete the entry form and enclose it with your entry/fee. Make sure you do not put anything on the entry to identify yourself. All entries are judged anonymously and any identifying marks will result in your entry not being entered into competition and we will retain the fee.
Send two copies of your entry.
Ensure correct postage is paid otherwise your entry will remain at the sorting office. Our postal address is:
EWG Competition, Parklands Connexion, Stanhope Street, Long Eaton, NG10 4QN.
You can enclose entries to more than one competition in one envelope if you wish. Please make sure each entry is accompanied by the correct entry form. It is acceptable to fold your entry once only if you wish to use a
smaller size envelope.
If you require an entry form and the Rules of Entry to be sent to you by post, please provide us with a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
4 Entries will be acknowledged by email. PLEASE ENSURE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IS WRITTEN CLEARLY otherwise we will not be able to provide confirmation of receipt. Your email address is seen by only our competition organiser and is not passed on to anyone. It's used only to contact you to confirm receipt of entry, and to inform you of our further competitions.
If you don’t use email and wish to send a self-addressed stamped postcard, we will use that to acknowledge your entry.
5 There is no theme for this competition. It is an OPEN themed competition. You can write about anything you want.
6 No minimum word count, maximum 2,000 words, not including title. Please ensure to include the word count on your entry form and at the end of your entry.
7 PAYMENT
PLEASE MAKE CHEQUES PAYABLE TO D WILKINSON
£3.00 for one entry, £5.00 for two entries, £2.50 per entry thereon. We accept payment by cheque, Paypal, postal order or bank transfer. We do not advise you send cash by post although we will accept payment by cash.
You can enter as many times as you wish but only one entry per entrant can win a prize. Every entry must be accompanied by the appropriate payment.
If you wish to pay by Paypal, please send your entry form and entry first, then contact Debbie for the Paypal address.
NB: If Paypal's rates increase before end of Sept 2014 we may have to change this point in the Rules. Please add 50p to your total if paying for one or two entries with Paypal, to ensure Paypal’s transaction fee is met. We receive 18p and 11p respectively out of this fee. Please contact Debbie to clarify total amount payable if your total will be more than £5.50, for example, you wish to pay also for a critique.
8 Entrants can be any age. All entries will be judged anonymously and no allowance made for age.
9 We would like to publish your story on this website and we will remove it at a later date if you require us to do so. You are welcome to put a link to your blog, website or email with your winning entry if you wish.
10 If they wish, winners can be published on EWG's website, blogs and Twitter:
Website
http://erewashwriterscompetition.weebly.com/blog.html
EWG's Facebook pages
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Writing-Workshops-and-Competitions/182306558595298?fref=ts
Debbie's blog
http://www.writingworkshopsandcompetitions.blogspot.co.uk/
and links will be tweeted from @EWGCompetition
11 Copyright remains with author.
12 Please do not send entries which have been previously published. Entries must be the original work of the entrant. We do not want to read entries found to be in print or online anywhere, including blogs.
13 Please do not send entries that have received an award from other competitions, or anywhere else. Please do not send entries currently waiting to be judged in other competitions, or that have been submitted for publication and are awaiting response.
14 Closing date for the competition is noon (GMT) Thursday 18th September 2014. . Entries received after this date/time may not be entered into the competition although we will retain the fee. Winners will be announced on this site, on or before Sunday 30th November 2014
15 PRIZES
Seven prizes - £100 First, £50 Second, £25 Third, £25 Fourth*
two 'Highly Commended' win 2015 comp free entry, a charitable donation will be made
*Fourth prize will be awarded to a 'New Writer' on the shortlist if the 'Open' category wins First and Second prizes. If a 'New Writer' entry wins First or Second prizes, fourth prize will be awarded to either category.
16 The judge's decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into.
17 No corrections will be accepted.
18 Critique service: A basic critique for your entry can be provided, with notes on opening, ending, characterisation, etc for £3.00. A detailed critique service is also available, which includes advice about how to improve any weak areas in your story, a rewrite and more feedback for £10.00. We accept non-competition submissions and will consider works with a high word count.
Please email Debbie for more information at erewashwriterscomps(at)hotmail.co.uk
If you would like to receive a critique, please send a cheque payable to D Wilkinson for the correct amount to EWG Competition, Parklands Connexion, Stanhope St, Long Eaton, NG10 4QN or request Paypal details with your entry.
19 There are things we do not expect to have to read. Unless it's intrinsic to the plot or motivation of the characters do not send us stories containing overt cruelty to vulnerable members of society.
20 Entry implies acceptance of the rules.
21 No refunds given. Only exception to this rule will be if the organisers cancel the competition (eg if not enough entries have been received to cover the prize fund).
Our Open Competitions have so far raised £160 for charity.
We will make another donation after this competition. The amount we start every competition with is £25 and provided we receive a good response, this amount will increase as the competition progresses. When you send an entry you can
nominate your favourite UK charity or voluntary organisation for the donation with a few words to explain how your chosen good cause will make use of our donation. After the close date we will put nominations into a hat and one will be drawn to win the cash donation. Any UK charity or voluntary organisation is eligible to be nominated.
SHORT STORY WRITING COURSE: We are pleased to offer a Short Story Writing Course. This course is suitable for beginners and for those who have been writing for a while yet would appreciate a helping hand. Our six-module course is £36 and this fee is discounted to £33 for those who enter the Open Competition 2014, and for those who entered the Open Competition in previous years. Please contact Debbie erewashwriterscomps(at)hotmail.co.uk to find out more or if you wish to
enrol on the course.