The 20th Elmbridge Literary Competition 2025
Posted by Olympiad Tester on
About the competition
The RC Sherriff Trust aims to promote the arts within Elmbridge Borough (Surrey, UK), making the arts accessible and engaging for the entire community. The Elmbridge Literary Competition is organized by The RC Sherriff Trust in collaboration with Elmbridge Borough Council.
For the 20th Elmbridge Literary Competition, the theme is "The River." Rivers have long been a source of inspiration for writers and poets, symbolizing life’s journey or mythical underworlds. Whether it’s the adventures of Huckleberry Finn or the setting of environmental debates, rivers have always played a vital role in literature.
This competition marks the 50th anniversary of RC Sherriff’s death and the publication of Three Men In A Boat. Sherriff himself was passionate about rowing, and his memorial still stands on the Thames at Molesey.
The competition is open to participants worldwide.
A panel of professional authors, along with members from the RC Sherriff Trust and Elmbridge Borough Council, will serve as judges.
Age Categories
Ages 5 – 7: Little rhymes and stories
Ages 8 – 11: Poems and short stories
Ages 11 – 13: Poems and short stories
Ages 14 – 18: Poems and short stories Adult: Poems and short stories
Entry Fees
Free for under 18 and £8 entry fee for adults
Submission Guidelines
Short Stories: Must be in English, unpublished, and up to 1000 words for ages 8-13 and 1500 words for ages 14+.
Poems: Must be in English, unpublished, and a maximum of 30 lines.
Little Rhymes and Stories: For ages 5-7, rhymes should not exceed 20 lines, and stories should be up to 500 words. Handwritten entries are accepted if legible, but typing is encouraged.
All submissions must be typed in Arial font, double-spaced, and sent as a Word document or PDF (no scanned PDFs). Failure to follow these guidelines may result in disqualification.
Prizes
All winners and commendations will receive a digital certificate.
Children’s prizes will be book tokens.
How to Submit
Email your entry to: elmbridgelitcomp@outlook.com
Submission Deadline
February 24, 2025.
Contact
For any inquiries, email: elmbridgelitcomp@outlook.com
For further details, click here to view the official notification of The 20th Elmbridge Literary Competition 2025 by RC Sherriff Trust.