MinK2025: 'Home'
Submissions: Terms and Conditions
What you need to know
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There are two age categories: 14-19 years and 20+
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Entries from those aged 14-19 are free. For those aged 20+, there is an entry fee of £5, with a concessionary rate of £3.
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The entry fee applies per entrant rather than per piece; you may submit in all three genre categories for a single fee. We have introduced a modest fee for entries this year to enable to keep running the competition and covering the costs of anthology production and associated events.
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Submission is open to writers who live, work or study in Buckinghamshire (Milton Keynes' home county), or in the neighbouring counties of Northamptonshire or Bedfordshire.
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There are prizes! There will be a cash prize of £25 for the best story, best piece of creative non-fiction and best poem in each of the two age categories.
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All entries must be written in English. Work should be original and not previously published.
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Stories and poems must reflect the theme: Home. You are free to interpret that as creatively as you wish.
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Flash fiction and creative non-fiction must be no more than 500 words. There is no minimum word limit. Each writer can enter both categories, but we accept only one entry per writer in either category. Any genre is acceptable, e.g. mystery, romance, science fiction, history.
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Poems must be no more than 40 lines. All types of poem are welcome: free verse, rhyming, haiku, sonnet, etc. You can submit a maximum of three poems, which should be in a single document.
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You may submit in all three categories if you wish
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Entries should be submitted in Microsoft Word, RTF or Plain Text as an attachment to an email: If submitting more than one entry, please attach as separate documents
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All work should be typed in Arial size 12 font and should include a word count (fiction pieces) or line count (poems_
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Writers must not include their name on any part of the attachment as entries will be judged anonymously.
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We aim to select the best submissions for publication in an anthology that will be available in paperback and e-reader formats. Their writers may also be invited to read at online or in-person Lit Fest events.
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Please do not submit material that would not receive a cinematic rating of 15 or less (i.e. no 18 / R-rated submissions).
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Judges cannot correspond with entrants or give feedback on submissions.
What you need to do
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All entries should be submitted as an attachment to an email and sent to mklfcomps@gmail.com
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If you are aged 20+, make a one-off payment of £5 (£3 if eligible for a concessionary entry) through the MK Lit Fest Box Office to cover your entries (maximum: 1 x flash fiction + 1 x creative non-fiction + 3 poems), and make a note of the your Order Id, which is shown on the invoice you will receive as an attachment to your confirmation email
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Please type MinK2025 Submission in the email subject line and specify which of the three categories you are entering. If you wish to submit in more than one category, please put your submissions in separate documents and submit them together in one email.
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Please include the following details in the body of your email:
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Your name
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‘Your pen name if different from your given name (this is the name that will be used for those shortlisted in the anthology and publicity regarding the competition)’
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Age category
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For those in the 20+ age category, the Invoice Number for your entry fee payment (this is shown on the invoice attached to the confirmation email)
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Your ethnicity
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Title(s) of pieces
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Email address/phone number
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Address including postcode (your home, workplace or educational institution, depending on how you meet the eligibility criteria).
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Deadline for submissions: 19 Jan 2025
Winners will be notified by: 21 March 2025