Brexit can win you £300, plus a free dinner

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Brexit, Czech, Slovak, the EU, Vietnamese, Writing competition

Brexit – that’s the suggested (but not compulsory) theme in this year’s British Czech & Slovak Association’s writing competition.

Last year’s was the EU, and that resulted in a winning entry describing how a Referendum Night party turns sour for a Czech girl living in England. In 2015 it was migration, and the winning entry put you in the place of the Vietnamese minority in the Czech Republic today.

So let Brexit rip – at least in your imagination, for or against – and go for the £300 prize, the free dinner you get when it’s presented to you at the Association’s annual dinner at a hotel in London’s West End, and the publication of your piece in the December 2017 issue of the British Czech and Slovak Review.

The second prize is £100. Entry is free.

Fact or fiction – both are welcome.  The first second prizes will be awarded to the best 1,500 to 2,000-word pieces of original writing in English on the links between Britain and the Czech/Slovak Republics, or describing society in transition in the Republics since the Velvet Revolution of 1989.

There’s still time – the closing date is 30 June.

For further info go to http://www.bcsa.co.uk/the-bcsas-2017-writing-competition/, or approach the BCSA Prize Comp Administrator at prize@bcsa.co.uk, or at 24 Ferndale, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 3NS, England.

Summing Up

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Elizabeth, Writing competition

Tabulating my ninevoices colleagues’ scores in our recent short story competition was considerably more informative than simple arithmetic would suggest. We have been together as a group for ten years and know one another well. We get along without (much) argument despite differences in genre, style and approach to writing. But reviewing the score sheets really brought home to me how very individual we are. Some of us were universally generous, others more reserved. A few felt the need to justify their scores, although only the numbers went into the calculations. And a couple of others sought greater precision (and to confound the tabulator) by scoring to two decimal places.

There was also a variety of presentation styles: in order of preference; in order of receipt; in no particular order (which did more to confuse the tabulator than decimals).

As far as the stories went, there were the expected differences of opinion, but there were also some surprises. Some fought hard for stories that failed to impress others and lively debate ensued. In the end we managed to achieve near unanimity. All of us are happy with the three prize winning stories that will be revealed to you on Wednesday.

One big lesson we learned from this exercise is that were we nine agents instead of nine writers, we each would have chosen a different story to publish. So there must be an agent out there for each of us, if only we keep at it

History Writing Competition

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Writing competition

Where in the world do you feel most connected to the past?  That’s the question the June issue of BBC History Magazine would like you to answer in 400 words (or fewer). Your choice of place can be ‘any location that you deem to be historic, and it can be absolutely anywhere in the world.  It does not need to be a famous heritage site, nor somewhere where something momentous happened, but if it is such a place, that’s fine.’  Wherever you choose, they want you to say why the place in question matters to you, and how and why it has inspired you to enjoy or study the past. As you may guess, they’re not looking for a tour guide but ‘creative, inspiring writing that communicates the reasons for your enthusiasm’.

The winner is in for a treat.  Not only will their entry be published in the December issue of BBC History Magazine but they’ll also receive: two golden tickets to its History Weekend in Malmesbury (including accommodation for two from 15th–17th October); a framed print of their entry; afternoon tea with authors Alison Weir and Tracy Borman (to discuss the art of writing); and £500-worth of history books.  Five runners-up will also receive £50-worth of history books.

The closing date for entries is noon on Tuesday 1^st September 2015.  Full details on how to enter are at:  historyextra.com/inspiringhistory

Writing competition with a Czech or Slovak twist

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Czech, Migration, Slovak, Writing competition

Migration from one EU country to another is a controversial topic currently much in the news. Do you fancy poking this hornets’ nest? Entries featuring or referring to it would be welcome in the British Czech & Slovak Association’s 2015 writing competition.

Fiction or fact – both are welcome. A first prize of £300 and a second prize of £100 will be awarded to the best 1,500 to 2,000-word pieces of original writing in English on the links between Britain and the Czech or Slovak Republics (or their predecessor states), or describing society in transition in the Republics since 1989. Topics can include history, politics, the sciences, economics, the arts or literature.

The writer of this year’s winning entry will be presented with the prize at the BCSA’s annual dinner in London in November 2015. So the prize includes a free dinner for you and a companion ….

The winning entry will be published in the December 2015 issue of the British Czech and Slovak Review and the runner-up in a subsequent issue.

Submissions are invited from individuals of any age, nationality or educational background. Entrants do not need to be members of the BCSA. Entries should be received by 30 June 2015. An author may submit any number of entries. Entry is free.

All entries must be in English, prose, typed with double-spacing and no more than 2,000 words in length. (The recommended minimum is 1,500 words.)

Entries should be submitted by post to the BCSA Prize Administrator, 24 Ferndale, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 3NS, England, or by e-mail to prize@bcsa.co.uk.

For the full submission guidelines apply to the Prize Administrator or see http://www.bcsa.co.uk/specials.html

Our Friends in Norwich

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Norwich Writers' Circle, Olga Sinclair, Writing competition

Norwich Writers’ Circle have launched a competition in memory of one of their much-loved members – Olga Sinclair – in collaboration with Unthank Books. The prizes are handsome: 1st £500; 2nd: £250; 3rd £100.

Stories with a maximum of 2000 words cost £7 per entry and must make reference to ‘mustard’ somewhere within the text.

Full details from norwichwriters.wordpress.com The deadline is 17th July (post); 31st July (email)

Plenty of time to enter OUR competition – deadline 31 May – and then write something for our friends in Norwich…

Writing Competition winner

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air travel, Czech, Manchester, Oxford, Writing competition

The winning entry in the annual writing competition put on by the British Czech & Slovak Association last year was ‘The Window Seat’, by Frances Jackson. The text can be found at http://www.bcsa.co.uk/reviews.html . It tells the thoughts of an A-star Czech student on her flight home from Manchester, as she reflects on how her time in England hasn’t worked out as she’d hoped.

The winner of the 2014 competition will be announced shortly.

Writing with a Slovak or Czech twist? Win £300 and a free dinner

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Czech, Fiction, free dinner, prize, Slovak, Writing competition

Fiction or fact – both are welcome in the writing competition run in 2014 by the British Czech and Slovak Association. A first prize of £300 and a second prize of £100 will be awarded to the best 1,500 to 2,000-word pieces of original writing in English on the links between Britain and the Czech/Slovak Republics (or their predecessor states), or describing society in transition in the Republics since 1989. Topics can include history, politics, the sciences, economics, the arts or literature.

The writer of this year’s winning entry will be presented with the prize at the BCSA’s glittering annual dinner in London in November 2014. The winning entry will be published in the December 2014 issue of the British Czech and Slovak Review and the runner-up in a subsequent issue.

Submissions are invited from individuals of any age, nationality or educational background. Entrants do not need to be members of the BCSA. Entry is free. Entries should be received by 30 June 2014. An author may submit any number of entries. Submission guidelines are available from the Prize Administrator or the BCSA website at http://www.bcsa.co.uk/specials.html.
Entries should be submitted by post to the BCSA Prize Administrator, 24 Ferndale, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 3NS, England, or by e-mail to prize@bcsa.co.uk.

Lightship Publishing First Chapter Competition

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Lightship Publishing, Writing competition

First Chapter (Literary Fiction)

Do you have a literary novel in you? Have you written the first 5,000 words and a synopsis? Enter First Chapter for a chance to win the dream prize of every aspiring novelist: expert mentoring while you are writing your novel. Deadline 30th June 2013

http://www.lightshippublishing.co.uk/

Writing Competition – Czech & Slovak interest

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Czech, Slovak, Writing competition

Fiction or fact – both are welcome in the writing competition run in 2013 by the British Czech and Slovak Association. A first prize of £300 and a second prize of £100 will be awarded to the best 1,500 to 2,000-word pieces of original writing in English on the links between Britain and the Czech/Slovak Republics (or their predecessor states), or describing society in transition in the Republics since 1989.  Topics can include history, politics, the sciences, economics, the arts or literature.

The writer of this year’s winning entry will be presented with the prize at the BCSA’s glittering annual dinner in London in November 2013. The winning entry will be published in the December 2013 issue of the British Czech and Slovak Review and the runner-up in a subsequent issue.

Submissions are invited from individuals of any age, nationality or educational background.  Entrants do not need to be members of the BCSA.  Entry is free.  Entries should be received by 30 June 2013.  An author may submit any number of entries.   Submission guidelines are available from the Prize Administrator or the BCSA website at http://www.bcsa.co.uk/specials.html.

Entries should be submitted by post to the BCSA Prize Administrator, 24 Ferndale, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 3NS, England, or by e-mail to prize@bcsa.co.uk.  

Ed