Monday 20 April 2009

HAY-ON-WYE SHORT STORY COMP



This sounds kind of quaint to me, for some reason. Maybe because their sponsor is 'Elizabeth Haycox of Richard Booth’s Bookshop' (she sounds fictional to me, as does the shop), or because they have 'secured the assistance of a well-known author, Barbara Erskine, as our final arbiter.' 'Final arbiter'? Does that mean 'judge'?

Here are the rules, anyway, and an entry form is available to download here.

The theme for 2008 is: ‘Lost’- which can be a person, a thing, money, or the plot!

Entries will only be accepted as printed typescript, in English, Double-spaced and with numbered pages.

Email entries will not be accepted. Please send your entry/entries to : Hay & District Community Support, Oxford Road, Hay-on-Wye, Hereford, HR3 5AL.

Authors may enter as many stories as they like. There is an entry fee of £6.00 for each story submitted. Cheques should be payable to Hay & District Community Support. Each submission must be accompanied by an entry form.

Entries will not be returned. Please keep a copy. No corrections or alterations can be made after receipt, and no fees can be refunded.

The prizes are as follows: 1st prize £400, 2nd £200, 3rd £100.

CLOSING DATE: 31st July 2009

Winners will be announced at the Hay Winter Festival in November 2009.

The results will be published on the website, if you would like to be informed by post please send a SAE marked "winners" to Hay & District Community Support, Oxford Road, Hay-on-Wye, Hereford, HR3 5AL.

7 comments:

Girlhurler said...

Quaint, but cutely so. Just checked the website - can't see a deadline anywhere!

Group 8 said...

Hi Eimear
31st July. It's in the entry form.
Sorry, I had that in my original post but blogger is playing silly buggers with me lately - rejecting posts etc. Grrr...

Tania Hershman said...

I love the picture! Postal entry only?? How quaint. Although £400 is not to be sniffed at. Hmm, lost?

Group 8 said...

Lost. I know. I do object to themed comps...

Anna May said...

Me too Nuala. Themed competitions make me feel like a poodle in a tutu doing tricks with words.
Anna May x

Betty MC said...

Spare a thought for the judges. If you have a theme that at least helps you to sift out from over 300 entries the ones that, no matter how hard you try, have absolutely nothing to do with anything or anyone that's 'lost'..

Group 8 said...

It's a pity that people feel the need to sends in things that don't fit with the theme. A bit of a waste of time for all concerned if they do that. I don't personally find it easy to write to a theme but I can see how it might work for an anthology, say.