Competition now closed The closing date for the BBC Jersey Short Story Competition has now passed and we are no longer accepting submissions. The response to the competition was fantastic; we received far more entries than we expected so a big well done and thank you to all of you who sent us your work. Thanks to such a wealth of talent from all you budding local writers the process of narrowing the stories down to a short-list is a lot harder than we had anticipated; as such all the stories are currently with three independent judges who are whittling the entries down to the five they believe to be the best. In order to give your work the time and attention it deserves they've been told not to rush the process and have promised to make their recommendations to us at the end of May. Harry Patterson is eagerly awaiting the five top stories, which will be delivered to him at the beginning of June, for him to make the final cut and announce the winner of the 2006 BBC Jersey Short Story Competition. Last day A quick reminder to anyone hoping to enter their story to the BBC Jersey Short Story Competition that Sunday 30 April is the closing date - any entries submitted after this date will not be considered. The Competition To mark World Book Day and the BBC’s ongoing RaW (Reading and Writing) campaign we’re launching a short story competition here at BBC Jersey. This is the perfect opportunity for you to have a go at being a writer, and if you submit your story it could well end up in the hands of Harry Patterson (better known as his pseudonym Jack Higgins), an internationally successful author. What do I have to do? The rules couldn’t be simpler; the competition is open to anyone of any age and you can write about absolutely anything that you like – your imagination is the limit. All we ask is that is you live in Jersey and that you keep your stories to less than 2000 words; there’s no minimum number of words so don’t worry about struggling to reach a certain amount! To be in with a chance of winning the BBC Short Story competition make sure your entries reach us before the end of April. What’s in it for me? The best stories will be short-listed and sent to world-renowned author Harry Patterson who will judge the overall winner. All the short-listed stories will be published on bbc.co.uk/jersey and the overall winner’s story will be broadcast on BBC Radio Jersey. This really is a fantastic opportunity to try your hand at writing, not to mention to have your work read by a high profile author, an opportunity that is very rare for amateur/unpublished writers. I need help If you need some hints and tips on how to get the best short story take a look at some of the links below:
Also be sure to check out our interview with top novelist and competition judge Harry Patterson; find out what inspired him to become a novelist and learn a few of his tricks of the trade.
Submitting your story Sending your story couldn’t be easier:
Alternatively you can pop two copies in an envelope and post it to: BBC Jersey Short Story Comp
18 – 21 Parade Road
St. Helier
Jersey JE2 3PL DON’T FORGET to include your name and contact details. All entries must be received by Saturday 30 April 2006. | 
