Dystopian fiction prize to commemorate Nineteen Eighty-Four anniversary - Deadline 1 November 2014

To commemorate the 65th anniversary of the publication of George Orwell’s great dystopian novelNineteen Eighty-Four, the Orwell Society is organising a competition for students (both BA and MA) at British universities. Dystopian narratives of 3,000 words should be sent to Professor Richard Lance Keeble, chair of the Orwell Society, (at dystopianfictioncompetition@orwellsociety.com.) by 1 November 2014. A fee of £5 will be charged for each entry.

The judging panel comprises Richard Blair, the adopted son of George Orwell and Patron of the Orwell Society, Dr David Swann, Senior Lecturer in the Department of English and Creative Writing at the University of Chichester, Dr Julie Wheelwright, head of the Creative Writing MA at City University London, and Professor Keeble. The prize of £500 will be announced on 1 December 2014 and comes with a trophy which is a bust of Orwell.

The judges will be looking for the narrative which best follows in the tradition set by Orwell in Nineteen Eighty-Four and which Orwell is most likely to have admired. The winning entry will be published in the Orwell Society’s Newsletter and (along with the two runners-up) on this website.

The Orwell Society has been formed to promote the public understanding of Orwell’s life and writings. It organises trips to places associated with Orwell’s life (in Scotland, London and Spain, for instance), holds conferences, runs the lively website and publishes a regular Newsletter. For more information contact Neil Smith.