To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Death of RC Sherriff and the Anniversary of the publication of ‘Three Men In A Boat’, The 20th Elmbridge Literary Competition is looking for short stories and poems on the theme of ‘The River’.

Age Categories:

• Ages 5 – 7; Little rhymes and stories.
• Ages 8 – 11 (Junior); Poems and short stories.
• Ages 11 – 13 (Secondary); Poems and short stories.
• Ages 14 – 18; Poems and short stories.
• Ages Adult; Poems and short stories.

Submission conditions:

• The poem/short story submitted is your own work. Submissions will be checked for plagiarism or AI generated work.
• A maximum of one story and one poem per person can be entered.
• Short stories must be in English, previously unpublished and a maximum length of 1000 words (8-13 years) or 1500 words (14+).
• Poems must be in English, previously unpublished and a maximum length of 30 lines typed, using Arial font and double-spaced.
• Entries must be submitted as a Word Document or a PDF.

Judging: A panel of professional authors, the Director of The RC Sherriff Trust and the Arts Development Officer for Elmbridge Borough Council will judge the entries.

Prizes:

• All winning entries will receive a digital certificate
• All prizes for Children’s entries are in the form of book tokens. Entry to the Competition is free.
• All successful Adult entries will receive cash prizes.

Entry Fee: £8 for adults and under 18s entries are free

Deadline: Friday 24 February 2025 at 5pm.