Young Muslim Writers Awards
There are presently no open calls for submissions.
Welcome to the Young Muslim Writers Awards' submission page!
Our 2020 competition will be opening in February 2020 and will close at midnight on Thursday 13th August 2020.
Our 2020 competition will be accepting submissions for the following categories:
Key Stages 1, 2, 3 and 4 are invited to submit entries in the following categories:
· Short Story
· Poetry
Key Stages 3 and 4 are invited to submit entries in the following categories:
· Short Story
· Poetry
· Journalism
· Screenplay
· Play script
To help you prepare your entry, please please carefully read the following Terms and Conditions.
Terms and Conditions
The competition is open to children aged 5 to 16 and in Key Stage 1, 2, 3, or 4 on 31st August 2020.
Please ensure you submit your work in the correct Key Stage category. For guidance:
Key Stage 1: Academic years 1, 2 (ages 5 to 7)
Key Stage 2: Academic years: 3, 4, 5, 6 (ages 7 to 11)
Key Stage 3: Academic years: 7, 8, 9 (ages 11 to 14)
Key Stage 4: Academic years: 10, 11 (ages 14 to 16)
- All entrants must be living in the United Kingdom.
- As our competition runs alongside the school calendar, please note that the current academic year the author is in will be correct. Please do not use the academic year to be entered in September 2020.
- All submissions must have approval from a parent or carer – this approval will be considered acceptance of these Terms and Conditions. Where a teacher is submitting an entry on behalf of a student, the teacher’s approval will be counted as acceptance of these Terms and Conditions.
- Short Story: You may submit one story. Please keep your story within 5,000 words. If more than one story is submitted, the story first received will be considered only, unless it is ‘withdrawn’ on Submittable and a new story is uploaded in its place.
- Poetry: You may submit one poem. If more than one poem is submitted, the poem first received will be considered only, unless it is ‘withdrawn’ on Submittable and a new poem is uploaded in its place.
- Journalism: You may submit one article for a newspaper. This can be a based on a fictitious or a real-life event. Please keep your article within 750-1,000 words. Please remember to include quotes, fully identify persons mentioned, avoid clichés or slang, pay attention to spelling and grammar, and consider how the article flows. For inspiration and to understand how articles are written, regularly read newspaper articles. If more than one article is submitted, the article first received will be considered only, unless it is ‘withdrawn’ on Submittable and a new article is uploaded in its place.
- Screenplay: This may be a group submission. You may submit one screenplay for a short film set anywhere in the world of any genre. Remember to include descriptions of the set and set changes, characters, scene headings, film. Please keep the script within 3-13 pages. You can find some tips on how to write a screenplay here and here. If more than one screenplay is submitted, the screenplay first received will be considered only, unless it is ‘withdrawn’ on Submittable and a new screenplay is uploaded in its place.
- Play script: This may be a group submission. You may submit one play script for a play of any genre. Remember to include descriptions of the scene and any scene changes, characters, stage directions, and to include scenes and acts. Please keep the script within 3-13 pages. If more than one play script is submitted, the play script first received will be considered only, unless it is ‘withdrawn’ on Submittable and a new play script is uploaded in its place.
- All entries must be written in English and be the author’s original and unaided work. Submissions must not infringe any copyright or contain defamatory or unlawful matter. By submitting an entry to this competition, entrants agree to indemnify Muslim Hands against any claim by any third party from any breach of these Terms and Conditions.
- Entries submitted in previous Young Muslim Writers Awards competitions will not be accepted for the 2020 competition.
- The competition is free to enter.
- All entries must be submitted through this page and all required fields must be completed.
- Entries should be typed in a Microsoft Word document with all pages numbered. Please ensure the title of the entry is included in the ‘Header’ of each page. Do not include the author’s name in the document. This is to make sure the selection process is unbiased and fair to all entrants.
- Schools: Please create one account for the staff member submitting the work. All entries should be entered through this one account, with the author’s name and age clearly written in the submission form. Teachers must provide contact information for the child's parent/carer in order to make the submission valid.
- Parents: Please create an account for either yourself or your child with your contact information. Include your child's name and details when asked for 'Author' details.
- Author: If you are author submitting your own writing, please create an account in your name and ensure you leave the contact information for your parent or carer, where prompted.
- There is no set topic or theme for this competition – entrants are welcome to choose their own subject. Please ensure your submission does not infringe any copyright or contain defamatory or unlawful matter.
- Judging for the Young Muslim Writers Awards will be as follows:
- Stage 1: A team of readers will assess all submissions and select the top 5 entries from each category, comprising the shortlist.
- Stage 2: The shortlisted entries will be assessed by judges who will each give the entries a score.
- Stage 3: Shortlisted entrants will be invited to awards ceremony to be held in Winter 2019, where the winners will be announced. Updates will be posted closer to the time.
- The decisions of the judging panel are final and binding, and Young Muslim Writers Awards will not enter into correspondence or negotiation regarding the results. Where possible, any feedback given by the judges will be passed on to the writer to further their development.
- Details of winners will be made available on the Young Muslim Writers Awards website after the Awards ceremony.
- Each shortlisted writer will agree to take part in publicity for the promotion of the Awards which will include - but is not restricted to - his/her name, age, location, and photograph being used. Writers will not receive payment for this.
- Full name and town/city of shortlisted writers will be given to local and national media for press coverage. This is to raise the profile of the young writer and of the competition.
- The authors will retain the copyright to their work but grant Young Muslim Writers Awards (Muslim Hands) a perpetual royalty-free licence the right to publish, distribute, publicise, and broadcast their work in mediums including but not limited to a) in an anthology b) on television c) on social media d) online on the Muslim Hands or Young Muslim Writers Awards’ website, and on other platforms.
- By entering your writing to the competition, it will imply your acceptance of these conditions.
- The closing date for the competition is midnight on Thrursday 13th August 2020. Submissions will not be accepted after the closing date.
For our complaints procedure, please visit https://muslimhands.org.uk/terms-and-conditions