Competition Rules
Closing date for receipt of postal entries: 31st May 2012 5.30pm

Closing date for online entries: 31st May 2012 Midnight GMT

Maximum of 5000 words for short stories (no mimimum)

Maximum of 42 lines for poems (no minimum)

Maximum of 250 words for flash fiction (no minimum)

The title is NOT included in the word count or line count

Eligibility

The Prize is open to anyone, including non-UK applicants, over 16 years.
Entries must be entirely the work of the entrant and must never have been published, self-published, published on any website or public online forum, broadcast nor winning or placed in any other competition.
Entries submitted posthumously will not be eligible.

Fees

Entry fee is £6 per flash fiction, £7 per poem or £8 per story (you can send as many entries as you like).
Fees are payable in sterling by credit/debit card, cheque or postal order. Cheques must be from a UK bank and should be payable to The Bridport Prize with the sender's name and address on the back.
Online entries are paid as you submit, using the RBSWorldPay system.
Postal entries from overseas can only be paid by credit/debit card or in cash (notes only, NO coins) - either US dollars or Euros at the current exchange rate.
Overseas cheques, money orders or drafts will not be accepted.

Entry Format

Entries must be in English.
Postal entries must be typed, single sided, with pages numbered and securely fastened with a staple. Each entry on a new sheet.
Stories and flash fiction to be double spaced and a word count noted at the top of the first page, poems to be single spaced.
Entries must show no name, address or identifying marks other than the title (Online entries should have an ID number which we will supply when you enter).
The filename of online entries must be the title of the entry and it must be either a .doc, .docx, .rtf, .wps, .pdf or .txt file.
Entries are not returned, keep a copy.
No corrections can be made after receipt, nor fees refunded.
Please ensure that you use the correct postage.

Receipt of entry

Enclose a stamped addressed postcard marked 'ACKNOWLEDGEMENT' if you require acknowledgement of receipt of your postal entry
Online entries are confirmed by the email receipt of your payment to WorldPay
It is not possible to confirm receipt of entries by phone or email
Overseas entrants : please send an international reply coupon from your Post Office rather than stamps.

Results

To receive the judges' reports (winning entries only) and full results in October 2012 - enclose an A5 stamped addressed envelope marked 'RESULTS'
Overseas entrants : please send an international reply coupon from your Post Office rather than stamps.

Copyright

Worldwide copyright of each entry remains with the author, but the Bridport Prize will have the unrestricted right to publish the winning poems and stories, (including runners up), in the annual anthology and any relevant promotional material.

Judging

The judges' decision is final and no individual correspondence can be entered into
Judges are unable to comment on individual entries
Judging is fair and unbiased. Experienced readers assist the named judges in selecting the shortlists, headed by Jon Wyatt for short stories and Candy Neubert for poems.

Prizes

Prizes for both short story and poetry categories are:
1st £5000
2nd £1000
3rd £500
plus 10 supplementary prizes of £50 each

The prizes for the flash fiction category are;
1st £1000
2nd £500
3rd £250
plus 3 supplementary prizes of £25 each

No competitor may win more than one prize in each category
The Dorset Award for the highest placed writer resident in Dorset is £100

Prizewinners / prizegiving

Prizewinners will be notified in writing by the middle of September 2012
Prizes will be awarded on Sunday 14th October, 2012, during the Bridport Open Book Festival.
Winners will be expected to attend the awards ceremony if possible

Entry implies acceptance of all the rules

Failure to comply with the entry requirements will result in disqualification

Enter online
OR
Print entry form fill in and then post with fee and entry

Postal entries should be sent to:

The Bridport Prize
PO Box 6910
DORSET
DT6 9BQ

Tel: 01308 428333

http://www.bridportprize.org.uk/
http://www.bridportprize.org.uk/rules.htm

Click on the link above and go to the contest official site