PHOTO: JOHN DILLON
If you value honesty and openness in your short story comps (and I know many of you do), look no further than the Willesden Short Story Prize which closes TODAY! Entry is online, after a simple registration process; it is FREE to enter; and the judge is master short fiction writer, Rana Dasgupta. 1st prize is £150 and a Willesden mug; two runners-up prizes of £100 each. There is also an anthology for shortlistees.
This from their site 4 days ago: "...there are stories that demand to be on the short list, whoosh straight past the long list. I don't mean recently received only - some are ones that needed close reading, from earlier. It's going to be a great anthology again, I think (there was none last time - missed a year), but we need a few more of those whooshes."
Last year, famously, the then judge Zadie Smith did not choose a winner from the shortlist, as she felt the standard was not high enough. A bit of a furore followed and the prize money was donated to charity. Hopefully, this year, Rana will find a suitably 'whooshy' story in his pile of shortlistees. Get entering!
7 comments:
So, I've One hour and 5 minutes to write my first short story.It can be done, but maybe not tonite.I vaguely remember a song by 'The mighty wah' called 'seven minutes to midnite' about only having seven (natch) minutes 'till de end of da woild and using that time to rite a pop song.But da woild is nut nding 2nite at midnite so, I'll leave it till next yea, but in all honesty they (da willesden hirald) should be congratulated for running a free to enter comp.Very refreshing ,fair play to dem.
Guess what, Total? You have until midday! It was GMT+12 hours, to facilitate those where midnight had yet to come. If you get up now (8.30am), you can write, edit, polish and deliver your meisterwerk my midday. Total? Are you awake, Total?!
Yes, I meant BY midday, not MY midday. It's too early...
So, I've 55 minutes to write my first short story. It can be done,but maybe not today.I vaguely remember a ...... Hang on, I have the first line,I'm off now to come fourth in the Willesden Herald short story competition,I work best under pressure..'To infinity(or Willesden )and beyond!'
By the way, the results of the TFE caption competition have been announced.OOOh! it's excitng!
Good on ya re coming fourth. It's great to know in advance, isn't it?
I'm delighted to be a winner in your cap comp. Cool!!
LAST WORD ON WILLESDEN, FOR NOW, FROM THEIR BLOG:
"Total 645 entries received. Not a bad turnout, all things considered. The results will be known sometime in the new year. A notice will be posted here after the short-listed or commended have been contacted. So you can keep an eye out for that to know when to check your email. After that it's up to Rana Dasgupta to pick a winner and runners up. If we can find three good stories Willesden will be spared, otherwise it goes the way of the cities of the plain."
Post a Comment