Entry Procedures
Writers may submit work in any one or more of the following categories. You should clearly identify the category in which you wish your manuscript to be judged.

Categories

Poetry
Single poems are not accepted in this category, unless they are of a length to stand comparison with a collection, an epic or long narrative poem.  Most entries will be collections of poems written over a period of time.

Drama
Plays, poetic works designed for performance, dramatisation or adaptations of already existing works are eligible in this category.

Prose Fiction
Short story collections (rather than single stories), novellas and novels will be accepted.  Personal reminiscence, anecdotes and biography are not eligible.

Non-fiction
Autobiography, biography, travel writing and some kinds of historical or archival writing are acceptable in this category, at the discretion of the judges. The Committee reserves the right to exclude work deemed to be inappropriate, such as academic theses, literary criticism and other scholarly writing whose primary purpose is research.

The John Wickham Prize
Writers under the age of 21 at August 31, will be eligible for thr John Wickham Prize, which was launched in 2001 in memory of the late editor of BIM Magazine, the first Chairman of the Frank Collymore Literary Endowment, and the Literary Editor of the Nation Newspaper.

Criteria For Selection
The works in each category should be unpublished, though the Committee may accept entries from which excerpts or single poems or short stories have been published. Entries should be original and should show awareness of the basic requirements of genre. The Committee is looking for a distinctive use of voice, a facility with and feeling for language, and an understanding of structure.