Ready to send your writing to the judges?

Pre-submission checklist

Tick these off before you click through.

• 1
  My manuscript file contains no name and no identifying informationImportant

  Not in the title, not in the body, not in the header/footer, not in the document properties. Blind judging depends on this.
• 2
  My file is .doc, .docx or PDFImportant

  Other formats (Pages, Google Docs share links, plain .txt) cannot be accepted.
• 3
  My entry is within the length limitImportant

  Max 2 pages for every category except Short Story, which allows up to 8 pages.
• 4
  My writing is original and my own

  No plagiarism. No AI-generated writing passed off as your own.
• 5
  My entry relates to this year's theme

  "Using the Power of Words to Promote Mental Health and Prevent Suicide"
• 6
  My entry has a unique title
• 7
  Nothing in my writing promotes self-harm or suicide as a solution

  Writing about these experiences honestly is welcome and encouraged — see our safe-writing guidelines. Promoting them is not.
• 8
  I'm ready to state my publication consent

  You'll be asked whether we may publish your entry — under your name, anonymously, or not at all. You can change your mind up to the announcement date.

What happens after you submit

1. 01
   Your entry is anonymised at ingest

   Your name, email, and contact details are separated from your writing at the moment your submission is processed — before any human reads it.
2. 02
   Judges receive only the writing

   Judges score your entry on relevance to theme (40%), originality (30%), clarity and structure (20%), and emotional impact (10%). Ties are broken by a documented process.
3. 03
   Winners are told privately

   Shortlisted authors are contacted privately before the public announcement, which happens live at our September lecture on 27 September 2026.
4. 04
   You control publication

   You choose whether your entry is published under your name, anonymously, or not at all. You retain copyright either way.