Write Off Line - 'Timegate to Tomorrow' - Young NZ Writers 2018 NZ Secondary School annual writing competition

Here's some info on a writing competition some of you may be interested in.  You can write poetry or short stories.

To be eligible for this competition all participants must be currently enrolled in a yr9 – yr13 NZ secondary or correspondence school.


Conditions of Writing Competition:

Create an original short story or poem (not published anywhere else) with the theme:

Timegate to Tomorrow. Here is what we’re looking for:

A timegate has appeared at your school, opening a gateway into the future. Do you step through into tomorrow, or does something, or someone, come back?

Young NZ Writers are looking for engaging imaginative stories and poems that explore the future: where characters from the present step into an unknown future world, or characters from the future travel back into ours. We want science fiction adventures that tackle artificial intelligence, new species, or climate change. Reports about robotics, bio-engineered crops, and medical innovations. Give us new-age fantasy heroes and heroines embarking on world-saving quests and chasing age-old prophecies. Tell us tales of far-off new kingdoms, unexplored realms, and mystical beings. What does the future hold for us? Pass through the timegate and let the adventure begin!

Your stories and poems must be speculative, that is either science fiction, fantasy, or horror. They can be uplifting or cautionary. Preference will be given to well-crafted and polished work with a New Zealand flavour.

Your piece of writing, including the title, must be no more than:
1200 words for prose
300 words for poetry

Entry is free. You may enter as many times as you like.
All entries must be received by 12 am (midnight) on Friday 6th April 2018.


Formatting:

• be typed using Arial font, size 11 point 
• be formatted with 1.5 line spacing 
• be paragraphed 
• be written in English as the main language 
• be accurate for spelling, punctuation and grammar 
• include: your full name, school, year level, personal email address, word count and title at the top left hand corner of your first page (SEE TEMPLATE BELOW) 

Title:
Name be used for publication:
School:
Year:
Personal email:
Alternate contact email:
Word Count:
Please confirm that this is entirely your own work: Yes / No


Entry:

• Put your full name, name of school and year level in the subject line of your email 
• Attach as a .doc or .docx file (Google Doc will not be accepted) 
• Email it as an attachment to youngnzwriters@gmail.com. 
• If you need more guidance please email youngnzwriters@gmail.com

Judging
* All judges’ decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into.
* Winners will be notified by email and results posted on the Young NZ Writers’ website (www.youngnzwriters.weebly.com)
Publication
* An anthology of the best writing will be published as both print and e-book versions. Entry into the competition is considered as permission from the author for their piece of writing to be included in this anthology.
* Work selected for the anthology will be edited prior to publication and all editors’ decisions are final.
* Copyright remains with the individual authors.


Prizes
* First place winners will receive a selection of books


Editors’ Advice:
Do:

• Use a range of language techniques 
• Have a strong sense of personal voice 
• Use an interesting structure 
• Have a beginning, a middle and an end. (Ask your teacher if you need more advice about this.) 
• Make sure your story fits the theme of the competition: Timegate to Tomorrow (see above for guidelines about what we are looking for). 

Don’t:

• Kill your main character. 
• Have your main character fall unconscious. 
• End your story as a dream. 
• End your story with … to be continued.