TERMS & CONDITIONS
This competition is to encourage local emerging writers.
All authors must have no more than three short works in print or online publications (not including the author’s own website).
Authors who have published a novel (including self-published) are not accepted for entry.
Authors must be current residents of Warrnambool, Moyne or Corangamite local government areas.
Work is to be submitted as a PDF or Word document only. All works must be typed in 12-point sized font, 1.5 spaced using Times New Roman, Arial or Calibri (or similar plain font) with wide margins.
Entries must be in English, and be an original work and the author's own work. Work produced using AI content, and/or plagiarised work will be rejected, and the entry fee will be forfeited.
There is a limit of one entry per person (including anyone writing under a pseudonym).
If the submitted work has been also entered in another competition and wins a prize elsewhere, the author must inform the competition organisers, and their work will be withdrawn from consideration; entry fee will be forfeit in such circumstances.
Entered work must not have won a previous award or competition.
Entries must be unpublished in third-party media at the time of submission and remain unpublished until the author has been notified by the organisers. ‘Third-party publication’ includes in print or any type of online publication; work published to the author’s own website is an exception and will be accepted.
Entries are submitted unencumbered/unrestricted, with full first publication rights available to the Warrnambool Storytelling Festival and/or nominated publisher. Copyright remains with the author.
Any entry may be published by a Warrnambool Storytelling Festival authorised publisher. For any work included in a Warrnambool Storytelling Festival anthology, the author will receive a free copy of the anthology as payment.
The author’s name, biography and image may be used in marketing and publicity materials associated with the Warrnambool Storytelling Festival, and the author will be expected to participate in media interviews, speaking engagements and publicity as required.
HOW TO ENTER
To submit your entry:
1. Pay the entry fee to: warrnamboolstorytellingfestival
BSB: 633000
Account: 189 638 331
Reference: 'SWWC' and your surname
i. Fee for Adult category: $10.00
ii. Fee for Micro-fiction: $10.00
iii. Fee for Youth category: $5.00
2. Send an email as follows to: southweststorytelling@gmail.com
i. Subject line:
'SW Writing Competition'
ii. Body of message must include:
1. Author's name
2. Category
3. Date of birth (if under 18)
4. Fiction or Non-fiction
5. Word count
6. Title
7. Payment receipt number
3. Attach your entry as a PDF or Word doc
To preserve anonymity and the 'blind' judging process, uploaded entries must only contain the title and text of the entry/story - any other personal identification (e.g. the author's name) relating to the entrant must not appear on the entry including in the header or footer. The author's name must not appear in the digital file. The filename of the entry must be the name/title of the entry/story.
4. Please make sure your entry is as finished as you can make it, including checked for spelling, grammar and layout; once an entry has been received, we are unable to accept corrections or modifications in any way.
In all matters relating to conditions of entry, the decision of the organisers / Warrnambool Storytelling Festival is final. In all matters relating to judging of the Warrnambool Storytelling Festival, the decision of the judges is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
Entries will be judged on the quality of the writing, presentation including spelling and grammar, and how well the subject of the story reflects the theme of ‘crossroads’.
The judges will not be required to make an award if they do not consider the entries to be of sufficient standard.
Any entries that are considered by the Warrnambool Storytelling Festival - in its absolute discretion - to be of an offensive nature, will be rejected.
Writing may be works of fiction or narrative non-fiction.
All entries must follow the online registration and submission process. Failure to comply with the terms of the competition will result in the entry being rejected and entry fee being forfeited.
The winners of the 2024 South West Writers Competition will be announced at the anthology launch and published on the Warrnambool Storytelling Festival website.