There are two categories, short stories and flash fiction, and writers will be divided into four age categories for the short-story section – 6-8, 9-13, 14-16, and 17 and over, with the flash-fiction category open to all ages.
The maximum word limit for short stories is 1,500 and in maintaining 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.
Paul Bisson, the competition’s organiser, said: ‘This competition is a great opportunity for any local writers looking to display their talents, broaden their creative CV and see their work in print.
‘It’s also a useful spur for English teachers who may be looking for ways to channel and encourage their students’ creative writing.’
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 former Jersey Evening Post 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 Jersey Festival of Words. A similar prize-giving event is planned for this year’s festival, which takes place between 26 and 30 September and will boast such literary luminaries as crime-thriller writer Peter James and highly-acclaimed author Joanna Trollope.
All winning entries will be published in a special supplement included with the JEP. The closing date for submissions to the JEP Writing Competition – which must be sent by email to writing competition@ 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.
