Budding authors have until the end of August to submit their entries for the competition, which is entering its fourth year.
There are two categories – short stories and flash fiction – and writers will be split into four age categories for the short-story section – 6-8, 9-13, 14-16, and 17 and over – but the flash-fiction category is open to all ages.
The maximum word limit for short stories is 1,500 and in keeping with a tradition started in 2015 – when the JEP celebrated its 125th anniversary – flash fiction writers have been gifted their yearly extra word, raising the accepted count for the category to 128.
The annual writing contest, organised in partnership with the Jersey Festival of Words, is sponsored by Rathbone Investment Management International. And prizes of £100 for each category winner, in addition to prizes of £50 and £25 for runners-up and third-placed entries, are up for grabs courtesy of Rathbone.
The judging panel for the competition comprises JEP picture editor Peter Mourant, Rathbone client director Matthew Sutton, Haute Vallée English teacher Kate Sibcy and local author Erren Michaels.
Last year’s competition had a large number of entries, with prizes presented by acclaimed novelist Felicia Yap during a special winners’ event at the Jersey Arts Centre during the Festival of Words.
A similar prize-giving event is planned for this year’s festival, which will take place between 26 and 30 September. All winning entries will be published in a special supplement included with the JEP.
St Mary’s School student Freya Le Quesne, whose story The Elements of Bravery won an award in the 6-8 category last year, had some advice for any young writers intending to take part.
‘Receiving an award for my writing made me feel very happy and gave me a boost of confidence,’ she said. ‘All you have to do is try hard, follow your instincts and then read through your story carefully at the end.’
The closing date for submissions, which must be sent by email to writingcompetition@jerseyeveningpost.com, is midnight on Friday 31 August. Entrants must currently reside in Jersey.
Entries must include the writer’s name, home address, age at the time of submission, phone number and must be clearly marked for the correct category.
