The High Sheriff's Cheshire Prize for Literature 2017 is Now Open

Aspiring writers have a chance of winning £2,000 as the entries for The High Sheriff's Cheshire Prize for Literature 2017 are now open. This year, the theme of the competition is Children's Literature. Supported by the University of Chester's Faculty of Education and Children's Services, the entries should be for unpublished works of children.

According to a report on Chester Chronicle, the entry can be a prose or verse but not exceeding 1,500 words and 100 lines respectively.  The intended readership is seven to 14-year old children. The winner will get £2,000 and an additional prize money of £750 will be awarded. The best entries will be published in an anthology and September 1 is the closing dates for entries.

"The judging panel is looking for innovative and engaging writing. We, as a university, are also pleased to announce that our guest speaker this year will be Dr. Hunt, whose own outstanding contribution to the development of literacy in children is an inspiration," Competition judge Simon Poole, from the Faculty of Education and Children's Services, was quoted saying to Chester Chronicle.

The winners will be announced at a special event on November 22 where renowned names like Roderick Hunt MBE, and Alex Brychta MBE, author and illustrator of The Oxford Reading Tree, whose books feature the much-loved characters Biff, Chip and Kipper will be the speakers.

Chester's official website states that the entrant must be 18 years or above on September 1. "The writer must have been born, live, or have lived; study, or have studied; work or have worked, in Cheshire. For the purposes of the Prize, Cheshire is deemed to include the Wirral, as well as Warrington and Halton. Documentary evidence of eligibility may be required," it added.

With 14-years of fame, The High Sheriff's Cheshire Prize for Literature was set up in 2003 by the then High Sheriff of Cheshire, John Richards OBE, DL.

TagsHigh Sheriff's Cheshire Prize for Literature 2017, Children's Literature