Please read carefully:
The aim of the competition is to encourage emerging literary talent and to promote understanding, co-operation and achievement through the English language, in Strasbourg and the surrounding region.
1. The deadline for entering a manuscript is 24 February 2023. Manuscripts may be entered in one of four categories:
♦ Native English speakers aged 18 and over on 24 February 2023.
♦ Non-native English speakers aged 18 and over on 24 February 2023.
♦ Native English speakers aged 17 and under on 24 February 2023.
♦ Non-native English speakers aged 17 and under on 24 February 2023.
2. The competition is open to all writers in the English language, regardless of nationality or mother-tongue, who live within a driving distance of 250 kilometres from Strasbourg, as measured using Google Maps with Place Kléber in Strasbourg as a starting point. All variants of the English language are acceptable.
3. Entrants who consider themselves bi-lingual should enter the appropriate native English speakers’ category.
4. Entrants must reside within the driving distance defined by rule 2. Entrants will be disqualified if living outside this defined driving distance. This is because we consider it unlikely that entrants living beyond this distance will be able to attend the Award Ceremony in Strasbourg.
5. There is a limit of ONE entry per person, so do not submit your entry until you are confident it is ready. No revisions will be allowed.
6. Entries must be fiction, in English, double-spaced, in a legible font size (12 point is fine) and in narrative form. Poetry and plays will not be considered.
7. The word limit is strictly 1,200 words, to include the title. There is no set theme.
8. Stories will only be accepted in .pdf format via our website, www.sxb-write-a-story.org. If you are unable to do this for any reason, please contact us at [email protected].
9. Do not include your name or any other identifying mark such as your email address in the body, header, or footer of your manuscript. This is essential to preserve your anonymity when the manuscript is read by the judges. Entries which include identifying text (your name, email address, etc.) in the body of the story will be automatically disqualified.
10. When submitting your story please include your first name and family name in the .pdf file name, e.g. John.Schmidt-[Name of Story].
IMPORTANT: Do not include your name or email address in any part of the text of the story (see rule 9). Only the name of your story is to be included in the text of the story.
11. Entries must be entirely the author’s own work and never previously published, nor submitted to this competition, nor broadcast, online or offline.
12. Entries submitted on behalf of somebody else will not be eligible
13. There is an administration fee of €10.00. The fee should be paid either 1) by PayPal or 2) by cheque in Euros drawn against a French bank account or 3) by international bank transfer.
14. An entry consists of your story, an entry form and entry fee, all of which must arrive by midnight on the closing date, 24 February 2023. Incomplete entries will not be considered.
15. Entry fees are non-refundable in all circumstances.
16. By submitting an entry you agree that we may email you announcements about the competition.
17. Your contact details will only be used for the purposes of the competition unless we are required to divulge them by law.
18. The Competition is sponsored by the English Speaking Community (ESC) and the Americans in Alsace (AIA). Members of the organising committee and the judges are excluded from entering the competition.
19. Entries are free to participants aged 17 and under (see rule 1). Entrants applying for a free place must send a scan or photo of their passport/ID card issued by a governmental entity verifying their age.
20. The judges are writers or academics in the field of English Literature. They will use their skill and judgment to select a short-list of entries, five of the best stories in each of the four categories (see rule 1), as well as the winner and runner-up in each category.
21. If the number of entries is sufficient, the organising committee reserves the right to appoint a sub-committee to pre-select entries to manage the number of stories forwarded to the judges for consideration. The judging criteria are clearly stated on our website on the “About Us” page.
22. Entrants on the short-list will be informed by email and are required to attend the Awards Ceremony in Strasbourg in person on 13 May 2023.
23. The winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony and the book of shortlisted and winning entries will also be released at that time. Each of the shortlisted authors will receive their own complimentary copy of the book, with additional copies available for sale from that point onwards.
24. The prizes in each category are:
Adults:
1st prize – €50 and a certificate of achievement
2nd prize – €25 and a certificate of achievement
Aged 17/under:
1st prize – €50 and a certificate of achievement
2nd prize – €25 and a certificate of achievement
25. Selections from the four winning stories will be uploaded onto the competition website and Facebook page. All short-listed stories will be included in a book which will be on sale at the Awards Ceremony and subsequently from the competition website.
26. Worldwide copyright on each entry remains with its author. By entering you grant permission, if you are short-listed, for your story to be included in the book as well as on the competition website and Facebook page (see rule 25 above).
27. By entering you grant permission, if you are short-listed, for photographs or video clips of yourself to be used in publicity materials as well as on our website, Facebook page and our other social media accounts.
28. The committee and judges will not enter into correspondence regarding entries or results and we cannot provide feedback on individual entries.
29. Entries which in the judges’ opinion contain inappropriate material will be disqualified.
30. The committee reserves the right to change or amend these rules at any time and without prior notice, if necessary.
31. By submitting an entry you agree to accept these rules in full.
HOW TO ENTER
Please read all the rules above and then prepare your story!
Remember you can only enter once and that your story must be uploaded onto our site and the appropriate fee paid (€10.00) either by PayPal, cheque or IBAN.
You may upload your story any time between 1 January 2023 at 12:00 p.m. and midnight on 24 February 2023. The entry form will be available when the competition opens on January 1, 2023