‘Forty’

We think you’ll agree that the topic ‘Forty’ opens up all sorts of possibilities
for a short story competition! As in … life begins at … the forty thieves …
forty days in the desert … forty years in the wilderness … forty winks … fortysomething
… so ‘Forty’ is the theme of our short story competition that celebrates ACW’s fortieth birthday in 2011. The competition is for a short story in any style with a maximum of 2000 words.

Prizes

First prize: £200 cash plus publication in the ACW quarterly magazine plus publication on the ACW website plus a year’s free membership of ACW.
Second prize: £100 cash plus publication on the ACW website plus a year’s free membership of ACW.
Third prize: £50 cash plus publication on the ACW website plus a year’s free membership of ACW.
Entries must be received by midnight on 30 April 2011. Acknowledgements will be sent by the Administrator. The names of winners will be publicly announced at the ACW AGM/Writers’ Day in London on 1 October, when prizes will be awarded. Details of winners and winning entries will be announced shortly thereafter on the ACW website.

Rules

The competition is open to members and non-members over the age of 16. No current (ie Oct 2010 – April 2011) members of the ACW committee may enter. Submissions should not previously have been published in any form including on the internet; nor should they have won or been placed in any previous competition, or currently be entered into any other competition or award. Entries must be entirely the work of the entrant.
Submissions
Entries must be in English, typed, single-sided, double spaced and with wide margins. Pages should be numbered and a word count given at the end. Entries should be submitted to: ACW Administrator, PO Box 551, Hounslow, TW3 9NX. Manuscripts should show no identifying marks apart from the title.
Full name, address and contact details should be given on a separate sheet. The Administrator will circulate the entries without names to the two judges Margaret Skipworth and Brian Vincent. No entries will be returned. Entries should be accompanied by an s.a.e. for an acknowledgement and the fee in full.
Entries not complying with the competition rules will be disqualified. The decision of the judges is final.
No correspondence will be entered into.
Writers retain copyright but, by entering, all winners and shortlisted entrants will be understood to have given permission for their work to be published on the ACW website, in the ACW quarterly magazine and in any anthology produced by ACW. Winning and shortlisted entries may not be submitted elsewhere for 12 months after the closing date without permission of ACW. All entrants whose work appears in any anthology published by ACW will be entitled to two free copies of the anthology and to
buy copies at reduced rates.
Entry fees
Members: £5 for one entry, £8 for two entries. Non-members: £8 for one entry, £15 for two entries. No entrant should submit more than two entries. Monies will be received by UK cheque made out to the
Association of Christian Writers and included with entries submitted to the Administrator. Entries from overseas are acceptable but must be accompanied by payment drawn from a UK bank account or
sterling postal order.