Submissions are invited for The Elmbridge Literary Competition 2025. The last date of submission is February 21.
About the Competition
Whether winding through the great cities of the world, or meandering across quiet country landscapes, Rivers have fascinated writers and poets. To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Death of RC Sherriff and the Anniversary of the publication of ‘Three Men In A Boat’, The 20th Elmbridge Literary Competition is looking for short stories and poems on the theme of ‘The River’.
Rivers have always flowed through literature, whether as tributaries representing the journey through life, or as passage to the Underworld. They have served as home to Mr Toad, the lair of goat-eating trolls and have been there to mess about on, as Huckleberry Finn or the three men in Jerome K Jerome’s classic story can attest. Today they are at the heart of the environmental debate. RC Sherriff, the author of ‘Journey’s End’, spent many hours on the river.
A memorial to his passion for rowing, The Rowing Eight, still stands on the banks of The Thames at Molesey. Alongside the prizes for each age category The Competition includes The Elmbridge Prize for the best story or poem submitted by an Elmbridge resident.
Age Categories
- Ages 5 – 7; Little rhymes and stories.
- Ages 8 – 11 (Junior); Poems and short stories.
- Ages 11 (Secondary) – 13; Poems and short stories.
- Ages 14 – 18; Poems and short stories.
- Ages Adult; Poems and short stories.
Submission Format
- All entries must be typed, using Arial font and double-spaced. Entries that do not adhere to these conditions will not be considered.
- Short stories must be in English, previously unpublished and a maximum length of 1000 words (8-13 years) or 1500 words (14+). Entries that do not adhere to these conditions will not be considered.
- Poems must be in English, previously unpublished and a maximum length of 30 lines typed, using Arial font and double-spaced. Entries that do not adhere to these conditions will not be considered.
- Little Rhymes and Stories for the 5-7 years group should be no longer than 20 lines (Rhymes) or 500 words (Stories) and can be hand-written (but must be legible). Where possible we suggest a typed copy is attached. The Judges will not consider any entries which they cannot read.
- All entries MUST be accompanied by the following information on the opening page:
- Declaration that the poem/short submitted is your own work. Submissions will be checked for plagiarism or AI generated work.
- age category being entered,
- the title of the story/poem,
- word/line count,
- author’s name, age (if under 18),
- a postal address
- an email address.
This should be the first page of all entries and NOT on a separate sheet or embedded in an email. Your story/poem should start on page.
Entries are judged anonymously so please do not have your name embedded on the pages containing the short story/poem.
- A maximum of one story and one poem per person can be entered.
- Where possible please email your entry.
- Entries must be submitted as a Word Document or a PDF. Please do not send scanned PDFs.
How to Submit?
Email entries to elmbridgelitcomp@outlook.com
Deadline
The closing date for entries is Friday 21 February 2025 at 5pm. Entries received after this time and date will not be accepted.
Prizes
- All Winning, Highly Commended & Commended Entries will receive a Digital Certificate
- All prizes for Children’s entries are in the form of book tokens. Entry to the Competition is free.
