World War One Short Story Competition open for entries via Facebook
The Historical Commemorations and Centenaries Working Group of the Church of Ireland is sponsoring a short story competition for those between the ages of 15 and 21 to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War.
It is open to anyone within the 15–21 age group and the competition now has its own Facebook page for potential entrants:
https://www.facebook.com/churchofireland?sk=app_79458893817
The prize for the best story will be €1,000 with a Runner–up prize of €300 and a Highly Commended award of €200. It is hoped to publish these and up to 8 of the best stories (in a format to be agreed) in and around November 2014.
Entrants are free to write a short story about any aspect of the impact of the First World War in any part of Ireland or on Irish people in the period 1914–18. The story should be fictional and no more than 3,500 words in length.
The competition will be impartially and anonymously judged by a panel including the renowned author Glenn Patterson and the QUB historian Professor David Hayton.
Glenn Patterson says, ‘It is all too easy to fall into the trap of thinking that previous generations are not just distant, but different. The competition is an invitation to imagine people just like us in circumstances we would hope ourselves never to have to live through.’
The deadline for the receipt of entries is 12 September 2014 and the awards will be announced in November.