Like me, you may not have known that August 30th is The International Day of the Disappeared. It commemorates
people who have gone missing throughout the world in situations of
violence and armed conflict and the Red Cross are bringing attention to it this year with a free competition. It is a reminder of the hundreds of
thousands of families who are unaware of the fate of their loved ones,
and organisations like the Red Cross who work to restore family contact
between separated family members.
There are only two rules (isn't that refreshing to hear)
- Your writing should be based on the theme of ‘the disappeared’.
- It should fit onto one side of A4 paper.
So this could be poetry, prose, a comic strip, a short story, an
excerpt from your diary, a song... anything as long as it relates back to
the theme.
Entries can be either typed or handwritten. (Now there is generous. Be kind on the judges and make sure your writing is clear by giving it to someone to read before you post it off.) Drawings and
illustrations are also welcomed, but remember – this is a creative writing
competition – so these should accompany your message, not be the
message.
Deadline is August 30
Prizes
The winning entry will receive a £50 cash prize and a £50 national book voucher.
A compendium of the top entries will be compiled and published
for International Day of the Disappeared 2012. All authors of published
entries will receive a free copy.
How to enter
Creative writing competition
British Red Cross
Bradbury House
Apple Lane
Sowton Industrial Estate
Exeter
Devon
EX2 7HA
Terms and conditions
- Entries must be original, unpublished and not accepted for publication. They should be written in English.
- The name and address of the entrant should be clearly listed separately from the entry itself.
- Receipt of entry will be given by email if a valid email address is supplied.
- A list of commended entries and the winner will be posted on this website, and sent out by email to addresses provided.ttp://www.redcross.org.uk/What-we-do/Finding-missing-family/International-Day-of-the-Disappeared/Creative-writing-competition
- Copyright will remain with the author, but the British Red
Cross reserves the right to publish any winning or commended entries
after the end of the competition.
- The winning entry will be announced within a month of the deadline on 30 August, 2011.
- The judges' decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding the results.
- Submitted entries will not be returned.
- Neither the judges nor competition organisers are eligible to enter the competition.
