Evesham Festival of Words launches its 2019 short story competition today.

Festival chairman Sue Ablett says the dark evenings of autumn and winter are absolutely perfect for any aspiring author to sit down with pen or keyboard and create the masterpiece that has been bubbling on the back burner for a while.

She said: “This is the festival’s fourth annual short story competition and we are set for another bumper selection of amazingly creative work. 

“This year’s judges Ann Evans (junior judge) and Vanessa Gebbie (adult judge) are all geared up and ready to go; each manuscript, they tell me, presents them with a new excitement, a new angle and a never-before-heard story.

“Naturally, competition is tough as there are some excellent writers out there, and no matter what age, we all have a story to tell.  Whether you like fairy tales or fantasy, whodunnits or regency romances, the choice is yours, it’s time to reach for your pen, put your thinking cap on and give it a go!”

Children’s stories should be no longer than 500 words for eight to 11-year-olds, 1,000 words for 12 to 15-year-olds and adult submissions may be up to 2,500 words.

Submissions to the children’s categories are free and adults entries are £5 per story.  With a  closing date of March 22 2019, there is plenty of time and writers can submit as many stories as they wish and you get to pick their own subject, making this the perfect place for your prose.

Prizes will be awarded at the Festival’s headline event which will be held at Evesham’s Northwick Hotel on Friday, June 28. 

The adult winner receives a prize of £150, with £30 for each winner in the junior category, and all three winners also receive an engraved trophy.  Runners up will also be awarded for each age category.

Two additional trophy prizes will be awarded to the schools of each of the winning junior entries, something for the writer, their school and their English Department to be very proud of indeed.

For more information, visit eveshamfestivalofwords.org and click on the competition tab.