HG Wells Short Stories Competition and a Chance to Win a Prize of £1,000

The H.G. Wells Competition invites writers all over the world to participate in a short story competition. The theme of this year is ‘Mask’ – interpreted any way you wish.

There are two competitions: The Margaret and Reg Turnill Competition for young writers of 21 years and under, for which the prize winner receives £1,000, and a competition for the over 21s which offers The Grand Prize of £500.

• Entries must be in English.
• The length is 1,500 to 5,000 words.
• Double quotation marks should be used for speech and single quotation marks for other appropriate purposes.
• Please ensure you DO NOT have your name or address ANYWHERE in your uploaded document.
• Proof of age and/or student id may be required for any entry entered in the Under 22. This proof may be requested by email after the close of entries and prior to the publication of a shortlist.
• All submissions should be the writer’s original work.
• Copyright remains with the author.
• The story may not be published elsewhere.
• The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence can be entered into.
• Entry implies permission for your story to be published in the annual HG Wells Short Story Competition Anthology and used for Competition publicity purposes.
• By entering the competition and providing your details, you are consenting to us contacting you by email, post, or phone about the 2021 competition and related events.
• You can use the HG Wells Short Story Competition Word Document Template that is designed to ensure you follow the below rules, but whether you use it or not you must meet the following criteria:
  • Each page should be numbered;
  • Absolutely no identification of author on the page or in the document properties (stories not meeting this rule will be disqualified);
  • All text 12 points, Verdana;
  • 1.5 lines spacing;
  • Single space left after full stops, colons, etc.;
  • Titles: center, bold;
  • First paragraph and after each break – no indentation;
  • Second and subsequent paragraphs – indented.

Selection Criteria:

As one of the aims of the competition is to promote literacy, the judges will include in their criteria the following:

• Accurate use of spelling, grammar, and punctuation;
• Use of imagination;
• The originality of thought and interpretation of theme;
• Entertaining content that is thought-provoking, intriguing, moving, and, above all, enjoyable.

Timeline:

• Tuesday 21st September 2021: Shortlists announced
• Sunday 21st November 2021: Awards Ceremony
• The shortlists will be announced online via the website.

Please note that although shortlisted authors will be invited to the awards ceremony, the competition organizers will not and cannot pay any travel fees or sponsor visas to attend the event.

About HG Wells Competition:

HG Wells Competition is a non-profit organization, and the entry fees go towards the running costs of the competition. The competition remains proudly based in Folkestone, with the annual award ceremony at The Grand on the Leas, Folkestone, a building that H. G. Wells himself would have known and used.

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