Wonderful Writers Competition 2019

Summer Creative Writing Competition 2019 Rules

1. The competition is organised, administered and judged by Read Now Write Now and Wirral Libraries.
2. Entry to this competition is open to persons who will be aged between 5 and 11 on the date the competition opens (25/07/19) and who are full time residents of Wirral in the UK. Proof of age, identity and eligibility may be requested. Entry will be in two age categories – ages 5 to 8 years (as at 01/09/19) and 9 to 11 years (as at 01/09/19).
3. Entrants must write a fictional short story (no more than 1000 words in length). Entry is via email to wonderfulwriters@readnowwritenow.org.uk. Submissions must be made by an adult parent, other relative, guardian or carer. When submitting a story please ensure the subject box states: Submission 2018 along with the child’s name and story title.
   You will be asked to provide the child’s name, gender, school (if applicable) and their age. The story must be attached as a word document only. All stories should be submitted in English. We can only accept stories which are 1000 words or under according to the word counter on the document.
   The adult will be required to approve the entry and agree to these Terms and Conditions (including the use of the story submitted and the fictional nature of the story) on behalf of the entrant. The adult must provide their own contact and personal details (not the child’s) by way of contact telephone number and their relationship to the child.
   The personal data provided will be used for the purposes of administering the competition. All winners names will be used when announcing the winners and winners and commended writers names will be displayed next to their stories at selected Wirral libraries. Wirral Libraries and Read Now Write Now will use the contact details provided by the adult to send general updates as to the progress of the competition by email and other promotional activities which only they run.
4. Entry opens on 25 July 2019. Entry closes on 1st September 2019. Submissions received outside of this time frame will not be considered, so please do not wait until the last minute to upload your entry. .
5. Entrants can only enter individually. Only one entry per person is permitted and the story must be wholly written by the entrant only; stories cannot be written by more than one person. If more than one entry is submitted, only the entrant's first submission will be considered.
6. Entries must be an original piece of fiction and based on the selected theme for the competition. Stories must be fictional but can feature well known public figures from present day or from history or take place in historical eras. If you are unclear on whether the content of a story contradicts these Terms and Conditions email wonderfulwriters@readnowwritenow.org.uk. The entrant warrants that they have not used material or depicted events that actually took place or used the personal details of any living persons in the story. As the stories will be published it is important that entrants do not include any personal details about themselves. The entrant must not include their name in the title or body of the story; entries which do contain this information may be removed from the competition.
7. Entries cannot be returned so please remember to retain a copy. Unsuccessful entrants will be contacted in respect of their entry but no feedback on any entry will be provided.
8. All entries must be the original work of the entrant and must not infringe the rights of any other party. Both Wirral Libraries and Read Now Write Now accept no responsibility if entrants ignore these Terms and Conditions and entrants agree to indemnify Wirral Libraries and Read Now Write Now against any claim by any third party from any breach of these Terms and Conditions.
9. Entries must not contain defamatory, obscene, offensive, or any other unsuitable material. Entries must be suitable to be published or used online by Wirral Libraries and Read Now Write Now for audiences of all ages, but in particular for a child audience. If the story has troubling content the Wirral Libraries and Read Now Write Now may if required take advice from the NSPCC or the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, and may refer the Troubling Content to the relevant authorities.
10. Entrants retain the copyright in their entries but grant to both Wirral Libraries and Read Now Write Now a perpetual non-exclusive royalty-free licence to publish and post the entry online and on any other platforms yet to be envisaged. This licence will be deemed to include all the necessary rights and permissions to enable such use by the Wirral Libraries and Read Now Write Now to fulfil the prizes and to complete the administration of this competition.
11. By submitting a story the entrant agrees that Wirral Libraries and Read Now Write Now may at their discretion edit, adapt, abridge or translate the entry for the purposes listed in clause 10 above.
12. In the event that the entry is published online by either Wirral Libraries or Read Now Write Now, for the avoidance of doubt, this will not be part of, or influence in any way, the judging process. Only the story title, entrant’s name and age will be published with an entry.
13. Entries will be judged on the following criteria:
    • Originality and creativity
    • Plot
    • Characterisation
    • Language
    • Enjoyment
    • Grammar and Presentation
14. The competition will be judged by Charlie Lea of Read Now Write Now and librarians employed by Wirral Libraries using the criteria above. Commended stories will be entered into the final round.
15. The stories selected for the final round will be read and judged. There will be one winner for each age group plus second and third prizes in each age group.
16. The entries from the 6 finalists and the commended writers will be shown in selected libraries across Wirral. Prizes will be awarded to the 3 finalists in each age category.
17. The 6 finalists will be invited to a prize giving ceremony and we will require parental consent for pictures to be used for media and social media purposes.
18. The parents or guardians of the top three finalists in each group will be contacted and further proof of age, identity and eligibility may be requested at this stage.
19. The decisions by Wirral Libraries and Read Now Write Now in relation to this competition is final. No correspondence will be entered into.
20. Wirral Libraries and Read Now Write Now reserve the right to disqualify any entry which breaches any of these Terms and Conditions, or to withhold a prize if in its opinion entries do not reach the required standard.
21. Wirral Libraries and Read Now Write Now reserve the right to amend these Terms and Conditions or cancel this competition at any stage, if deemed necessary in its opinion, or if circumstances arise outside of its control.
22. Neither Wirral Libraries or Read Now Write Now can accept any responsibility whatsoever for any technical failure or malfunction or any other problem with any server, Internet access, system or otherwise which may result in any entry being lost or not properly registered or recorded. Proof of sending is not proof of receipt.
23. These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales.