To be eligible for this competition all participants must be in years 7 and 8,

currently enrolled in any NZ school.

Conditions of Writing Competition:

  • Create an original short story (not published anywhere else)withthe theme:

Beyond Expectations.

Here is what we’re looking for:

What just happened? It was weird, and you don’t know for sure. But it definitely was Beyond Expectations.

Young NZ Writers are looking for engaging, imaginative stories that explore the unexpected: where people act in strange ways, and events happen that could not have been predicted. We want adventures that are out-of-the-ordinary, where the unusual is every day, and extreme is the new normal. Give us heroes and heroines embarking on world-saving quests and facing unforeseen difficulties for astonishing rewards. Tell us tales of far-off lands, unexplored realms, and mystical beings, or strange happenings with bewildering results. Surprise us as you let the adventure begin!

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

  • Your piece of writing, including the title, must be no more than:

750 words long

  • Entry is free.You may enter as many times as you like.

All entries must be:

  • received by midnight on Friday 6th April 2018
  • 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 name, school, year level,personal emailaddress, an alternative email address, your word count, and title (which must be something other than ‘Beyond Expectations’)at the top left-hand corner ofyour first page (SEE TEMPLATE BELOW)

Name to be used for publication:

School:

Year:

Personal email:

Alternative contact email:

Word Count:

Title:

Please confirm that this is entirely your own work:Yes / No

Entry:

  • Put your full name, name of school and year levelin the subject line of your email
  • Attach as aWord .doc or .docx file (Google Docs will not be accepted)
  • Email it as an attachment to .

If you need more guidance please email

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(

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: Beyond Expectations (see above for guidelines about what we are looking for).

Don’t:

-Use ‘Beyond Expectations’ as your title.

-Kill your main character.

-Have your main character fall unconscious.

-End your story as a dream.

-End your story with ‘To be continued …’