http://expressmedia.org.au/express_media/prizes-grants-money-for-writers/the-scribe-nonfiction-prize-for-young-writers/Scribe, in partnership with Express Media, is pleased to announce an exciting new award: the Scribe Nonfiction Prize for Young Writers. This is a developmental award to foster talented writers aged 30 or under who are working on a longform or book-length nonfiction work.
In addition to a cash prize of $1,500, the winner receives the opportunity to meet with a publisher or an editor and to experience the process of working with an editor on their writing. The winner also receives a year-long subscription to Scribe: each month for 12 months, one new-release title will be sent out to them before it’s in stores.
The prize is open to writers who are working in any nonfiction genre, such as memoir, journalism, essay, biography, and creative nonfiction. Entries must be between 5,000 and 10,000 words.
This award is supported by the generosity of Scribe Publications, the independent Melbourne house founded in 1976.
Prize package
The winner will receive:
a cash prize of $1,500
a meeting with an editor or a publisher at Scribe
up to 10 hours of editorial time to work on developing the piece to Scribe’s publication standard OR to work on developing it into a book-length project
a 12-month book subscription to Scribe, consisting of one new-release nonfiction title a month.
Application and judging process
Use the entry form here to enter. Entries close on 1 September 2014. A shortlist will be announced in November 2014. The winner will be announced at the Express Media Awards in December 2014.
Entry conditions
1. Entries will be accepted in any nonfiction genre, including memoir, journalism, essay, biography, and creative nonfiction.
2. Entries must be between 5,000 and 10,000 words. They may be excerpted from a longer work but must also function as stand-alone pieces.
3. The entry must be an original work by the entrant and written in English. No more than 10 per cent of the entry material may have been previously published (in print or electronic form) on a commercial basis.
4. Entrants must be 30 years of age or under as of the closing date, and be permanent residents of Australia.
5. Entries must be neatly typed and double-spaced. Please do not include your name anywhere on the submission.
6. Entrants must submit their entries by using the online entry form. Complete one form per entry. Entries submitted without the completed entry form will not be processed.
7. Entries must be received by 10 p.m. on Monday 1 September; late entries will not be accepted. We take no responsibility for lost or delayed entries.
8. There is a maximum of two entries per individual. While previously published authors are eligible, the entry material must not be under consideration with any other publisher. Entrants must notify Express Media immediately if their entry ceases to be eligible.
9. All members currently serving on the Express Media Management Committee and all paid, permanent staff of Express Media or Scribe Publications are ineligible to enter.
10. The judges have the discretion to divide the prize equally between authors of entries they consider to be of equal merit, should the situation arise. The judges’ decision is final; no correspondence will be entered into.
11. The winner may be told in strict confidence during November 2014, at which time the winner must agree to keep this news confidential until the announcement of the winning entry at the Express Media Awards in December.
12. The 10 hours of editorial time must be completed within 12 months of the awarding of the prize. The meeting with the editor or publisher may occur at the Scribe offices in Brunswick, Victoria, or via phone or Skype, depending on the winner’s preference and location. If the meeting is at the Scribe offices, the winner will be responsible for any associated travel costs.
Entrants who wish to be considered for the Scribe Nonfiction Prize for Young Writers must be aware that Scribe Publications has first right of refusal over the winning entry. Scribe Publications has sole discretion to decide whether it wants to publish the entry and/or enter into a commercial arrangement with the prize winner, and the prize money may form part of any commercial arrangement. Scribe Publications will let the prize winner know whether it wants to publish the entry and/or enter into a commercial arrangement with the winner within six months of the completion of the awarded editorial time. In the event that Scribe Publications decides not to enter into a commercial arrangement with the prize winner, the winner will be free of commitment to Scribe Publications.
For more information on the Scribe Nonfiction Prize for Young Writers, email
awards@expressmedia.org.au
