It's Here Again

2008-9 Commonwealth Short Story Competition


1st Prize: £2,000

Entries are now invited for the 2008-9 Commonwealth Short Story Competition. There is no entry fee or form. Only the winners will be notified and entries will not be acknowledged or returned. The deadline for receipt of entries is 1 May, 2008.

Aims

The Commonwealth Short Story Competition aims to increase understanding and appreciation of and between Commonwealth cultures, to showcase the rich diversity of the Commonwealth and to support rising literary talents.

Objectives

The objectives of the competition are as follows:

• To recognise new writers and give them increased confidence to pursue writing as a career.
• To make more widely known the work of rising literary talents.
• To encourage people to write about their lives, their societies and the things that matter to them.
• To highlight a diversity of cultures, voices and viewpoints through radio broadcast.

Rules and Regulations

All Commonwealth citizens are eligible to participate in the competition. There is no age limit and entries can come from either amateur or professional writers.

• All entries must clearly state the country of citizenship and residence.
• The stories may have any theme or subject, but should not exceed 600 words (which should be 4'30" when read aloud).
• The stories must be original and should not have been previously published anywhere in full or part. Entrants should confirm this in writing.
• All entries must be in English.
• Maximum of three entries per person.
• Entries should be type-written or word processed on A4 paper, double spaced, and include the word count.
• Handwritten entries will not be accepted.
• Each entry must include the name, address, telephone number, and email address of the writer.
• Entries will not be returned or acknowledged.
• Winners will retain the copyright but assign the broadcasting rights (including audio on demand) for ten years to the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association to pass on to its members. Winners will also assign publication rights for ten years to the CBA and the Commonwealth Foundation, and the rights for the story to be sold on any audio medium by the CBA. Both these rights are non-exclusive. The winners will also assign rights to the CBA to use the story for press and promotion and for using on the website.
• The administrators of the competition reserve the right to disqualify any competition entry. No correspondence will be entered into in this regard.
• Only winners will be notified. The names of the winners will be published in "Commonwealth Broadcaster", the CBA website www.cba.org.uk and in the press and broadcast media of Commonwealth countries.
• Entries must be sent by post or courier to Commonwealth Broadcasting Association, 17 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1AA, UK or emailed to story@cba.org.uk
• DO NOT SEND ENTRIES BOTH BY POST AND EMAIL
• ‘Short Story Competition’ should be clearly written on the envelope, and on the subject line on emails.

The competition is administered by the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association and funded by the Commonwealth Foundation as part of its Culture and Diversity Programme.

How to enter

All entries for the 2008 competition should be sent to:

Commonwealth Short Story Competition
Commonwealth Broadcasting Association
17 Fleet Street
London EC4Y 1AA
UK

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7583 5550
Website: www.cba.org.uk

Please mention "Short Story Competition" on the envelope. You can also email story@cba.org.uk Please either send by post/courier or by email. DO NOT SEND A STORY BOTH BY POST AND EMAIL.

PLEASE NOTE THERE IS NO ENTRY FORM FOR THIS COMPETITION


http://www.cba.org.uk/awards_and_competitions/2008CommonwealthShortStoryCompetition.php

tanxs 4 posting dis info here.please, when will the entries be closed?

thanks for putting this up . . . i'm thinking of entering some stories for this yr. wish me luck.

angel_empy:

tanxs 4 posting this info here.please, when will the entries be closed?

It says there in the very first paragraph of the main body that the deadline is 01 May 2008.

Goodluck to u 4him, Goodluck all.

Thanks my brother

Let's hope that Nigerians have a good showing this year. Last year the best we got was a highly commended mention for Molara Wood's story titled Trial by Water.

There are 3 Nigerians shortlisted for the Commonwealth prize.

Best Book
Ifeoma Chinwuba (Nigeria) Waiting for Maria
Karen King-Aribisala (Nigeria) The Hangman's Game

Best First Book
Sade Adeniran (Nigeria ) Imagine This


http://www.commonwealthfoundation.com/news/news/detail.cfm?id=392

Though I have not read her book, Goodluck to her. The Commonwealth Prize is however different from the Commonwealth Short Story Competition.

What is Commonwealth Prize about ?

@ the bread man,

In a nutshell -

The Commonwealth Writers' Prize aims to reward the best Commonwealth fiction by both established and new writers, and to take their works to a wider audience. Publishers are invited to make entries online or by completing an entry form and sending it with three copies of each book to the appropriate regional chairperson and one copy to the Commonwealth Foundation Awarded annually, this major prize for fiction is fully international in its character, administration and judging. The Prize covers the Commonwealth regions of Africa, the Caribbean and Canada, Europe and South Asia and South East Asia and the South Pacific.

Got that from the website as can you. For more info, go there [http://www.commonwealthfoundation.com].

no comment for now

coo_pedro:

no comment for now

Apparently None.

Roughly 20 days to the deadline. Hope your entries have been submitted (or soon will be)

Nice one

The Deadline has been extended to the 9th of May 2008. Best of Luck to Everyone who enters.

Just one week to go. Keep writing! Keep submitting!!

Extended!

YAY!!!

i entered just one story before now im goin to enter two more!!!!!

Just One Day to Go. Keep Submitting.

Last day. Less than 3 hours to go.

The competition is now closed.

The waiting game now begins. Results will be released later on in November 2008.

Julie Curwin of Canada is the winner of the 2008 Commonwealth Short Story Competition.

Her story 'World Backwards' was selected as the best story from the Caribbean and Canada region of the Commonwealth and as the winning story of the competition from more than 1700 entries.

Julie is from New Brunswick in Canada and now lives with her husband in Cape Breton in Nova Scotia. A psychiatrist by profession she has a B.A. in philosophy and political science from Mount Allison University, a B.Sc. and M.D. from Dalhousie University, and a diploma in post-graduate medicine (psychiatry) from Queen’s University.

Despite her busy profession Julie has found time to write and has already won recognition for her fiction. In 2007 her story “The Other Side of the Window” was selected as a finalist in The Writer’s Union of Canada’s Short Prose Competition for Developing Writers. She is currently working on a collection of short stories with medical themes. Prior to taking up writing, Julie had a ten year career as a professional long-distance triathlete, and was a member of Canada’s elite national team.

Nigeria had two writers in the Highly Commended category. Once again Uche Peter Umez was commended for "Three Apples" and Akinwumi Akinwale for "Uncertainty Principle for Dummies".  

Well Done to them all and better luck to those who haven't won. Best to start writing for the 2009-10 competition.

Good-o.

You guys can listen to the winning stories (which have been read by various individuals) by clicking this link below - http://www.cba.org.uk/awards_and_competitions/Short_Story/Short_Stories_Audio.php.