Move Your Story Forward

The Rules

Please ensure that submissions are original, not previously published and exactly 125 words or less (not including the title). Don’t forget to include your full name, address, email and daytime phone number when filling in the form. We may use entries in all print and electronic media. Contributions become world copyright of Raindance.

Entry is open only to anyone anywhere. It is not open to employees of Raindance, its subsidiary companies and all others associated with this competition, their immediate families and relatives living in an employee’s household.

Terms and conditions: There are three categories—one for adults, one for children aged 12–18 and one for young adults 18 – 25.

In the adult category, the winner will receive £1,000 and two runners-up will each receive £250.

In the 12–18s and under-12s categories, the winners will each receive a Fire HD 8 Tablet and a selection of STAEDTLER products worth £50, plus two STAEDTLER classpacks of pencils for their school. The two runners-up in both categories will each receive a Kindle E-Reader.

Please submit your stories below by 5pm on February 19.

The editorial team will pick a shortlist of entries, which this year will be combined into a short-story anthology and published by our partner lulu.com. The book will be entered into Lulu’s retail channels and promoted for one year. Winners of the categories will have an opportunity to write a longer version of their stories for inclusion in the book.

The three best stories in each category will be posted online at readersdigest.co.uk on February 27. You can vote for your favourite, and the one with the most votes wins the top prize. Voting will close at 5pm on March 19 and the winning entries will be published in our

 

RAINDANCE COMPETITION

 

#125 Words

Move Your Story Forward

 

Title:

Intro Blurb:

Hints and Tips:

Start Date:

End Date & Time:

Prize: ideas: RD weekend masterclass, one week writing retreat to progress novel/script, free editing for a finished piece of work, winning story turned into a film short (By film students ??), Cash/an item (donated by Sponsor) Elliot Grove “how-to” books. Interview with EG posted online.

 

Judging: Shortlisted by in house judging panel. Top X posted for public voting (comments enabled). Panel vote on winner & runner up – and say why won.

Judging Panel: Strategic choices

Rules:

No previously published work (specify “published”), 125 exactly excl. title, (no more no less). Can enter more than once.

 

Determine if UK only or International – maybe create a template and have each Raindance territory run their own? Test the market.

If international will submissions be in English?

 

Entry open to residents of the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland. It is not open to employees of Raindance, families/relatives etc.

 

Entry Details:

Name

First name

Last name

How did you hear about the comp.

Email address

Phone number

Address

Post code

Your story

Title

newsletter/news promo sign up box

 

T’s&C’s: … click to agree. Copyright etc

 

Create a timeline: Factor in publicity.

 

Social sharing: usual stuff #125words #125wordstory #125wordscript #flashfic #mircofic #raindanceflashfic #Quickscript

 

Mechanics:

Upload to Raindance site – monitored. Set a word upload limit with prompt. Web designer to configure.

Or a Facebook upload? Simply copy and paste words. (word count control would be tricky)

 

Collaborations

A publishing company – promote through their channels. Create a book of the best.

Editing company

 

 

Publicity

Newspaper / magazine

International

Social Media

Sponsor channels etc etc

 

Find a Sponsor – create sponsor benefits doc.

Tablet Company (HP)

Moleskin Books

Energy drink co.

Tech co.

WHSmith

Coffee shop chain

Publishing company

 

Benefits for Raindance: