Competition Countdown:

Read our top tips then enter online here

Closing date 30th June 2008

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PLAY BY THE RULES!

So, how can you improve your chances of winning a writing competition? The answer, quite simply, is: read the rules.

Between a quarter and a third of all competition entries are disqualified before they’re even read because people have failed to study and follow the rules. So if you make sure that your work is presented and submitted in the proper way, you’ll already have beaten up to 33 per cent of your rivals.

But what are these all-important rules that can make or break a competition entry? They vary from competition to competition but usually cover the following areas:

Presentation: Stories must be set out in double line spacing, on one side only of white A4 paper and must be clearly numbered and catchlined on every page. Most competitions insist that entries be typed. Poems should be single spaced with an extra line between stanzas.

Length: Entries mustn’t be longer than the stipulated length. The word limit is often 2000 words or 40 lines of poetry.

Originality: The story or poem must be the author’s own work, and not have won a prize in another contest or been previously published.

Anonymity: The work should be anonymous. There should be no identifying marks on the text and the author’s name and address must not appear anywhere. (This is a safeguard so that the judge will view all entries on their merit and won’t be influenced by knowing who wrote the piece.)

Relevance: The work must be on the theme stated in the competition details – if a set theme is given. And, if the rules ask for a short story, there is no point in submitting a piece of non-fiction.

These rules don’t sound too onerous or difficult to follow but people ignore them in droves. Maybe writers get too excited and forget to read the rules, or leave it to the last minute to enter and haven’t time to study the paperwork.

Remember, the rules apply to everyone. Every time writers ignore competition rules they are automatically disqualified and lose their entry fees. You have to admit, it does seem a rather elaborate and pointless way to throw away money!

And it’s not just the rules. There’s also a certain etiquette that you should follow when entering competitions. Here are just a few points to bear in mind:

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