Felixstowe Book Festival launches 2015 short story competition #seanocarolan.com #writing #contests #competitions #Felixstowe

Felixstowe Book Festival is pleased to launch our 2015 short story competition…
Theme

One of our festival themes this year is ‘in the margins’.

This theme came out of a conversation about Felixstowe’s position at the edge of Britain, at the edge of the continental block of Europe but joined by its shipping to the whole world. The town sits on the edge of the sea, which, on a winter’s stormy day, seems to want to reclaim it. It sits between two rivers like the text of a book between the margins.

What is seen as ‘in the margins’ or ‘on the edge’ can be more exciting and rich than what is central. People can be seen as in the margins of society because of their ethnicity, age, physical or mental state. A lot of works of art, scientific discoveries, inventions are made by people regarded as being in the margins. What we write in the margins of our books (those of us who dare!) can be more relevant to us than the printed text.

So interpret the ideas of ‘in the margins’ as creatively as you wish in your short story entry.
Dates

The closing date is Saturday 16th May, 2015.

A long list will be announced on Saturday 30th May, 2015.

A short list will be announced on Saturday 6th June, 2015.

The winners will be announced on Saturday 20th June, 2015.
Word Count

Maximum of 1000 words, no minimum.
How to enter online

Please pay the £5 entry fee via paypal [Click here to make payment].

You will receive an acknowledgement that your payment has been accepted. Then email your entry to felixstowe@yahoo.com.

Your entry should be a word compatible attachment, 12 point Arial or Times New Roman font preferred.

The attachment should include the story title in the document header, but no other personal information. Please use: SHORT STORY ENTRY in the subject line. In the body of the email, please include name, email address, word count and title of story as well as the transaction ID from the paypal payment.
How to send in a paper entry

You can take or send your printed entry and payment to Felixstowe Library, Crescent Rd, Felixstowe, Suffolk, IP11 7BY.

Please supply two copies in 12 point Arial or Times New Roman font.

Both copies should include the name of the story in the document header, but no other personal information. Please supply ON A SEPARATE SHEET: your name, email address (if available), contact telephone number, word count and title of story.

Entries that do not meet these requirements will be automatically disqualified. If you have any questions, please email felixstowe@yahoo.com prior to submitting your entry, using the subject line: SHORT STORY QUERY.
Prizes

£50 to the winner, two prizes of £10 to two runners up.

In addition, the EADT Suffolk Magazine is offering a year’s subscription to the magazine for the winner and the possibility of the winning story being published in the magazine should the editor consider it suitable (you may want to look at the magazine’s website to get an idea of the type of things they publish).

The winning entry and the two runners up entries will be will be invited to read to an audience at the closing event of the festival. Winners and runners up will receive 2 free tickets to this event.
Judges

Jayne Lindill, Editor Suffolk magazine and Andrew Clarke, Arts Editor of the East Anglia Daily Times.

Terms and Conditions

1. The competition is open to anyone aged eighteen or over.

2. All entries must be original unpublished prose of no more than 1000 words.

3. Publication of the winning entry in Suffolk Magazine is at the editor’s discretion and is conditional on the material being suitable in terms of taste, subject matter and style.

5. Winners will be notified by 20/06/2014 by the email, telephone number or home address given with your entry. (If you have not been notified by this date, your story has not been selected on this occasion).

6. By submitting their stories, all entrants thereby grant Suffolk Magazine and Felixstowe Book Festival website the right to publish their entry in the event of their work winning the competition.

7. We would like all winners to be available to attend the reading of their work at The Orwell Hotel in Felixstowe on the evening of Sunday 28 June 2015

8. Felixstowe Book Festival cannot accept responsibility for entries which are not received or which are received after the closing date due to technical failure or for any other reason.

9. The decision of the competition judges will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.