Competitons - Watch This Space

Newbattle Writers have just received their first sponsorship. A small amount of money has been offered as pump-priming funding by the Rainmaker Network, a group dedicated to making good things happen. They have pledged sponsorship of ₤50 to fund two prizes this year for two competitions to be run by Newbattle Writers for students at Newbattle Abbey College in 2005/6.

The competitions will be open to all current students at Newbattle Abbey College; you do not have to be a member of a writers group and it is not necessary for you to have your work posted on the Newbattle Writers website for you to be eligible to enter the competitions; although getting some practice in could certainly help you to feel more confident about submitting an entry.

The competition rules have been drawn up by the Newbattle Writers group and they will also be responsible for inviting a panel of judges and for overseeing the competitions. The deadline for the first competition was 21st November 2005 and the winners were announced during the last week in November/first week in December at an event hosted at the college to launch the Newbattle Writers website. The closing date for the short story competition will be 31st March 2006.

The Rainmaker Network has not promised to fund writing competitions at the college next year but we could apply for funding again. Success in obtaining more sponsorship, from them or from other sources; might make it possible for the ‘Class of 2005’ to leave these prizes behind as an annual event for new writers as part of our legacy to future students at the college. If we can raise the necessary funds to support operation of the website in future years, then it might also be possible to leave this behind as well. I am also very hopeful of obtaining sufficient funds to publish a small volume of writing by Newbattle Students before we leave college next June. It would be great if we were able to take something away as a memento to remind us of each other and the work we did together.

You might like to know that details of other external writing competitons are also posted on this website in the ‘News and Events’ section. If you have ideas or thoughts or suggestions or comments about any of these subjects I would certainly like to have them.

Late breaking news update!

The closing date for the short story competition will be 31st March 2006. To enter just click here.