Bridport Prize

Competition Rules
Closing date for receipt of postal entries: 30th June 2009

Closing date for online entries: 30th June 2009 Midnight GMT

Maximum of 5000 words for short stories

Maximum of 42 lines for poems


Eligibility
The Prize is open to anyone, including non-UK applicants, over 16 years.
Entries must be entirely the work of the entrant and must never have been published, self-published, published on any website or online forum, broadcast nor winning or placed in any other competition (as at 22nd November 2009).
Entries submitted posthumously will not be eligible.

Fees
Entry fee is £6 per poem or £7 per story (you can send as many entries as you like).
Fees are payable in sterling by credit/debit card, cheque or postal order. Cheques must be from a UK bank and should be payable to The Bridport Prize with the sender's name and address on the back.
Online entries are paid as you submit, using the WorldPay system.
Postal entries from overseas can only be paid by credit/debit card or in cash (notes only, NO coins) - either US dollars or Euros at the current exchange rate.
Overseas cheques, money orders or drafts will not be accepted.

Entry Format
Entries must be in English, typed, single sided, with pages numbered and securely fastened; each entry on a new sheet
Stories to be double spaced and a word count noted at the top of the first page, poems to be single spaced
Entries must show no name, address or identifying marks other than the title
Entries are not returned, keep a copy
No corrections can be made after receipt, nor fees refunded
Please ensure that you use the correct postage.

Receipt of entry
Enclose a stamped addressed postcard marked 'ACKNOWLEDGEMENT' if you require acknowledgement of receipt of your postal entry
Online entries are confirmed by the email receipt of your payment to WorldPay
It is not possible to confirm receipt of entries by phone or email
Overseas entrants : please send an international reply coupon from your Post Office rather than stamps.

Results
To receive the judges' reports (winning entries only) and full results in November 2009 - enclose an A5 stamped addressed envelope marked 'RESULTS'
Alternatively, check the website for details after 22nd November 2009
Overseas entrants : please send an international reply coupon from your Post Office rather than stamps.

Copyright
Worldwide copyright of each entry remains with the author, but the Bridport Prize will have the unrestricted right to publish the winning poems and stories, (including runners up), in the annual anthology

Judging
The judges' decision is final and no individual correspondence can be entered into
Judges are unable to comment on individual entries
Judging is fair and unbiased. Experienced readers assist the named judges in selecting the shortlists, headed by Jon Wyatt for short stories and Candy Neubert for poems.

Prizes
Prizes for both short story and poetry categories are:

1st £5000
2nd £1000
3rd £500
plus 10 supplementary prizes of £50 each


No competitor may win more than one prize in each category
The Dorset Award for the highest placed writer resident in Dorset is £100
Prizewinners / prizegiving
Prizewinners will be notified in writing by beginning of October 2009
The list of prizewinners will be displayed on the website after the prizegiving ceremony in November
Prizes will be awarded on Sunday 22nd November 2009 during the Bridport Literay Festival
Entry implies acceptance of all the rules

Failure to comply with the entry requirements will result in disqualification

Print entry form fill in and then post with fee and entry

OR

Enter online http://www.bridportprize.org.uk/rules.htm

Postal entries should be sent to:

The Bridport Prize
PO Box 6910
DORSET
DT6 9BQ

Tel: 01308 428333