The ChipLitFest 2019 Short Story Competition is now open!

Judge: Nicholas Royle

Sponsor: pennyshorts.com

Entry fee: £5 for stories up to 2,500 words. £8 for stories up to 5,000 words

Word Limit: 2,500 (£5) 5,000 (£8)

Deadline (Closing Date): 12 Midnight GMT, Thursday 7 February 2019

First Prize: £500

Second Prize: £100

Third Prize: £50

Further details/rules are here. We look forward to reading your stories, you can submit as many as you like. Get typing!

Over the last four years, we have published a collection of short stories written by local children. Inspired by an author visit - this year it was fantasy writer Jasmine Richards - the children from years 5 or 6 then write their own stories which we publish and launch at a special event for all the young writers, their teachers and families. Two copies of the book are given for free to each child. Year 5 pupils from Hook Norton Primary School wrote and illustrated 2018's wonderful collection and all involved should be very proud!

For the last three years, the Book Trade Charity has generously funded School Shorts but we are now looking for a new funder for future editions.

The ChipLitFest Friends scheme offers members the opportunity to support the Festival and its charitable aims financially. We suggest a minimum donation of £25 but will be happy with any amount you feel able to give. For those with larger pockets, why not join the Family for any donation over £150. A key benefit to Friends and Family is priority booking. A key benefit to ChipLitFest is supporting our work with vulnerable young people. And a benefit to all is sustaining our innovative community Festival that celebrates literature in all its forms. Details about the Friends and Family scheme are here.

As part of the Festival's remit to create life-long readers, we run a series of specialist creative writing workshops every year. Our programme involves a number of interactive writing sessions with groups of vulnerable young people, those living in full-time residential care, those with emotional and mental health needs, and those who have been school-excluded. ChipLitFest favourite Bali Rai will return to engage the students and get them thinking about how to express themselves in ways that gets fantastic results. Samples of students' writing from spring 2018 are here. For the academic year 2018/19, we are very generously supported by the Midcounties Cooperative and Oxfordshire Community Fund. Publishers Barrington Stoke are kindly contributing books for the project.