Upcoming competitions to enter 23 Aug - 30 November 2013

Thanks to my fellow blogger Displacement Activity, I can pass on the information on the following competitions to my followers:

Den Of Geek's "Den Of Eek 2" - call for flash fiction / short story submissions

 
UK-based film/comics/TV/geek culture's very own Den Of Geek website is calling for submissions for its second - and thus now annual charity Den Of Eek! storytelling event. Stories of up to 500 words on the theme "urban legends" should be submitted by 23rd August 2013. This is in preparation for a live event in London on 18th September 2013, so you'll need to be able to a) be there and b) get up and read your story. The event organisers promise "help" with travel expenses and there'll be a drink in it for you too. Yes, that does sound a bit vague. If you want to know more, try here.  

John Stanley Productions / 2525 call for SF radio comedy sketch scripts

John Stanley Productions has an open call for new writers to contribute to 2525, a new SF radio sketch comedy show (think Little Britain in the future, not least as Matt Lucas is a co-creator of the series) that's due to be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 later in the Autumn. The closing date for script submissions is 13th September 2013. 

A complete set of details (including formatting instructions, fees payable, tone and audience, a list of recurring characters with descriptions and do on) is available at the website here and here in an easily printable .pdf format. 

LiteratureWorks First Page Writing Prize 2013

 

The LiteratureWorks First Page Writing Prize is now open for submissions. The organisers are seeking, according to the website, "superb opening pages of unpublished novels (and a 150 word synopsis) from promising writers around the country". First prize is £1,500 plus a free reading of the first three chapters of the entry by a literary agent, who will provide some feedback. There are runners-up prizes of £350 and £150 also. The closing date is 30th September 2013. Full details, including submission requirements and more information about the competition judges, may be found here. 

 

The Telegraph Harvill Secker Crime Writing Competition

 
UK publishers Harvill Secker, in association with The Telegraph newspaper, have announced a new crime novel competition. Writers should submit the first 5,000 words of their novel, along with a complete two-page synopsis, by 30th November 2013. There's a £5,000 first prize on offer - an advance against publication of the winning novel. The work should have an international element of some kind. Entrants should not have a novel previously published and should not be signed with a literary agent. Full details, including tips from top writers in the genre, may be found here.