20/20 Writing Competition & Launch

At HuddLitFest, we love to champion new and developing writers. To celebrate our 20th anniversary, we are inviting writers aged 16+ to submit an extract of up to 500 words from an unpublished novel, short story or non-fiction work they have written.

From these, members of our Festival team will select a long list of 20, followed by a shortlist of 10 entries. The longlisted entrants will have their work published on our website and will be allocated free entry to the event. Additionally, the 10 shortlisted finalists will be invited to read their work on the night. The judges on the night – including novelist Simon Crump – will then choose a winner, who will receive a £50 book voucher and two runners-up, who will each receive a £10 book voucher.

The competition is free to enter and the rules are listed below.

Important dates:

Sunday 29 March (midnight) – deadline for entries

Thursday 2 April – longlisted entrants notified by email and longlist announced

Tuesday 14 April – shortlist of 10 finalists notified by email and shortlist announced

Thursday 7 May – Launch at Amped

Please note: this competition is for prose only, any poetry sent in will not be entered into the competition. Poets can take part in our Open Mic events or apply for a place at our Poetry Slam.

Access: if you have specific access needs or seating preferences, please contact our Admin team at [email protected] with your request.

Rules:

1. All submissions must be original work by the entrant, without using AI and which has not been published elsewhere and does not infringe on third-party intellectual property or privacy rights.
2. Entries must be no more than 500 words. Any words over this amount will not be counted when judging your work.
3. Each individual may only enter one piece of writing.
4. Entries should be submitted in a 12-point font, double-spaced lines, and ideally sent as a Word doc attachment by email to: [email protected] using the email subject line: 20/20 Competition. The body of your email must include your name and contact phone number. You can also add up to 50 words of biographical details. Entries will be judged anonymously to create the longlist, so your name should not appear anywhere on the Word doc, just the title of your piece. If you do not have access to Word, you can add your entry to the body of your email and it will be passed on to the judges anonymously.
5. Your other work can have previously been published or self-published, but your competition entry must be unpublished. You may submit work that you have submitted elsewhere as long as it has not been published by Thursday 7 May.
6. The competition is open to anyone over 16 based in the UK. Ideally you will be available to travel to Huddersfield on Thursday 7 May to perform your work in person on the evening if you are shortlisted. However, we can accept pre-recorded films of you reading your entry, which we will show on a screen on the night, if you are unable to travel due to access issues, neurodiverse conditions or other reasonable circumstances.
7. Entrants must not be team members or Steering Committee members of Huddersfield Literature Festival, or their immediate family members.
8. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence can be entered into.
9. The competition is free to enter but if you are able to help towards Festival funds, you can donate £5 or an amount of your choosing through our fundraising page using this link: https://localgiving.org/charity/HLF
10. Copyright of your work remains with you but the Festival reserves the right to publish your competition extract on the HuddLitFest website and social media.

Thursday 7 May

6pm-7.30pm

Amped, 29 Zetland St, Huddersfield HD1 2RD

£3, free for 20 shortlisted entrants, free for University of Huddersfield staff and students & for essential carers accompanying a ticket holder

Age guidance: 16+

Access Guide: contact the venue on: [email protected]; 01484 361932

Access: if you have specific access needs or seating preferences, please contact our Admin team at [email protected] with your request.

Concession & Carers: For further information on concession and essential carer tickets, please visit our FAQ's page.

Eventbrite note: When purchasing tickets please download the Eventbrite 'app' or 'create an Eventbrite account'. This will facilitate quicker access to your tickets.

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Host or Publisher Huddersfield Literature Festival