Terms and Conditions (the Rules)
General
- The Manchester Writing Competition: The Manchester Poetry Prize 2010 (the “Competition”) is organised by the Manchester Metropolitan University (“MMU”).
- The Competition is open to anyone aged 16 or over who is not excluded by these Rules. There is no upper age limit for entry.
- Members of MMU staff are excluded from being eligible to enter.
- The deadline for entries is 5pm ( UK time) on Friday 6 th August 2010 . Entries received after this deadline will not be considered but may still be charged.
- Entrants must submit a portfolio featuring a minimum of three and a maximum of five poems. There is no line limit for each individual poem, but the overall maximum length of the portfolio must not exceed 120 lines. Titles, spaces and page numbers are not included in the line count.
- Entrants may submit as many portfolios as they wish, but each portfolio must be submitted as a separate entry with a separate entry form and a separate entry fee.
- All work submitted for consideration must be the entrant’s own original writing, and should not have appeared in print or on a website (including blogs and social networking sites) or have been broadcast, or be submitted for publication or consideration elsewhere, for the duration of the Manchester Poetry Prize (which is deemed to begin on the date of entry and end on Friday 22 nd October 2010). Work found to be published in print or on a website or to have been broadcast will be disqualified without refund of the entry fee.
- All work must be typed or word processed, clearly legible and written in English. Entrants should not include illustrations or art work. Pages submitted by post should be stapled, paper-clipped or loose.
- Translations into English of work written in other languages can be accepted, provided that the source text is the entrant’s own original work and has not been published (in print or online) elsewhere; translations into English of work published (in print or online) elsewhere in other languages cannot be accepted.
- Entries will be accepted by post or online via the competition website.
- Postal entries will only be valid if accompanied by a completed entry form and payment. Postal entrants should enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope if they would like acknowledgement of entry. Acknowledgement will normally be sent out within 28 days of entry, once the entry has been processed and checked.
- Online entries must be made via the Manchester Writing Competition website: www.manchesterwritingcompetition.co.uk. Online entrants will be required to pay online and will receive an email acknowledging receipt of payment (at the time of payment) and an email acknowledging receipt of entry (normally within 28 days of entry, once the entry has been processed and checked).
- All entries will be assigned a number and made anonymous upon receipt. Judges will not be privy to entrants’ names during the reading and judging processes. Names will be reattributed to entries only after the short list and winners have been decided.
- Portfolios submitted for consideration may be withdrawn from the Competition by entrants by notification in writing to be received by James Draper, Project Manager for the Manchester Writing School at MMU, no later than 5pm on Friday 3 rd September 2010. Where work is withdrawn, entry fees will not be refunded.
- Alterations cannot be made to portfolios after they have been submitted; poems cannot be amended, corrected or substituted.
- Entries will not be returned under any circumstances.
- MMU reserves the right to disqualify any entry if it has reasonable grounds to believe that the entrant has breached any of these Rules, or made a false declaration on the entry form.
- MMU cannot accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, injury or disappointment suffered by any entrant entering the Competition.
- MMU will act in accordance with current UK data protection legislation in relation to your personal data.
- The Competition and Rules will be governed by English Law and any dispute will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales .
- MMU reserves the right to amend these Rules where it is deemed necessary to do so or where circumstances are beyond MMU’s control. Any changes to the Rules will be posted on the Manchester Writing Competition website.
- Submission of an entry will be deemed to imply unqualified acceptance of the Competition’s Rules. In the event of any dispute regarding these Rules or any other matter relating to the Competition, the decision of MMU shall be final and no correspondence or discussion shall be entered into.
Judging and selection
- A judging panel of practising writers will select a short-list of entrants and, from that list, select the winners. The judges’ decisions are final, and no correspondence about their decisions may be entered into. MMU reserves the right to change the panel of judges without notice. The judges reserve the right not to award the prizes if, in their opinion, such action is justified.
- Short-listed entrants will be invited to attend a prize-giving ceremony on the evening of Friday 22nd October 2010 in Manchester.
The winners will be announced at this event. Short-listed entrants will be notified by telephone on or before 1st October 2010, and asked to confirm attendance at the ceremony by no later than 8th October 2010 .
In cases where short-listed entrants are unable to attend the ceremony, they will be invited to send a representative (a friend or relative) on their behalf;
if a representative is unable to attend, short-listed entrants will be asked to submit a short written statement to be read out at the ceremony should they win.
- If requested, short-listed entrants must provide to MMU a biography and a photograph. Short-listed entrants may also be asked to participate in promotional activity for MMU.
Fees
- The cost of entry is £15.00 (sterling) per portfolio.
- Payment may be made by cheque or postal order or debit/credit card only. Cheques and postal orders should be made payable to “ Manchester Metropolitan University ”. If the cheque or debit/credit card payment does not clear, the entrant will be contacted by MMU within 28 days of entry and asked to provide an alternative method of payment, or to withdraw from the Competition. In cases where payments have not cleared by 3 rd September 2010 , entrants will be automatically disqualified from the Competition.
Copyright
- The copyright in each poem submitted remains with the author.
Entrants are deemed to grant to MMU a non-exclusive, worldwide licence over each entry submitted for the duration of the Competition (which is deemed to end on Friday 22 nd October 2010), and for publicity purposes thereafter.
Selected pieces may be printed in publications and journals hosted by MMU and may appear in electronic format on the MMU website, or in other electronic forms.
Prizes
- "The Manchester Writing Competition: The Manchester Poetry Prize" will award two prizes:
i. The Manchester Poetry Prize for the best overall submission; and
ii. The Manchester Young Writer of the Year Award for the best submission by a writer aged 18 to 25.
- Entrants for The Manchester Young Writer of the Year Award must be no younger than 18 years of age, and no older than 25 years of age, on 6 th August 2010 .
Eligible entrants will be asked to indicate upon submission if they would like to be considered for The Manchester Young Writer of the Year Award, in addition to the main prize.
i. The Manchester Poetry Prize will award a cash sum of £10,000.00 to the winner(s). The judges may decide to award The Manchester Poetry Prize jointly and divide the cash sum accordingly. The maximum number of winners will be two.
ii. The winner(s) of The Manchester Young Writer of the Year Award will be awarded a fees-only bursary for study in the Department of English at Manchester Metropolitan University, dependent upon the winner securing a place via the usual means of application, on one of the Department of English’s degree programmes at undergraduate or postgraduate level (these include BA (Hons) in English and Creative Writing, and the MA Creative Writing programmes in Poetry, Fiction and Writing for Children. The MA is available to study on campus or by online distance learning).
The judges may decide to award The Manchester Young Writer of the Year Award fees-only bursary jointly. The maximum number of winners will be two.
Contact
- Postal entries should be sent to:
Manchester Poetry Prize,
Alan Black,
HLSS,
Geoffrey Manton Building,
Manchester Metropolitan University,
Rosamond Street West,
Manchester, M15 6LL,
United Kingdom.
- Any queries, please contact James Draper, Project Manager: The Manchester Writing School at MMU (+44 (0) 161 247 1787 or j.draper@mmu.ac.uk).
