Sight for Wight is running the Island’s short story writing competition again this year after the success of last year’s, which produced some very high-quality entries, despite lockdown and everything being ‘virtual’.
Running for over a decade, Sight for Wight has been working with international crime writing authors, RC Bridgestock, to ensure this truly Island event keeps gathering more and more momentum every year.
Chris Cane, the competition organiser, said:
“This is an exciting opportunity for budding Island writers to become published authors, win some great prizes and have their storied read by very talented celebrity people.”
This year’s celebrity readers, who have kindly agreed to donate their time to read the winning stories are, for the second year, Richard Cadell, of Sooty fame who joins Dominic Minghella creator of the ITV network comedy-drama series Doc Martin, stand-up comedian Mark Simmons of Comedy Central and Just The Tonic and Hollyoaks star Bethannie “Cher McQueen” Hare.
This year’s theme for the competition is, ‘the sea’, so entries need to incorporate this theme but it is up to the individual writers to decide how.
A special under-8s category has been added this year, where the story can be told in pictures or words.
CEO Lisa Hollyhead said:
“People were asking for a junior category. We wanted to make the amazing creativity, which children have, to be captured in a form which more suited their age so we added this new category where words or pictures can be used to tell the story.”
The closing date for the competition is Friday 11th November. The winners will be announced at a special award ceremony on Monday 5th December at the Riverside Centre.
Lisa said:
“Finally, our awards evening in which local talented people perform magic, song and comedy is in person again and we are very much looking forward to it.”
Entry forms for the competition are available from Waterstones, Newport, Sight for Wight, Carisbrooke, and Dress for Less, St James Street, Newport.
