Frequently Asked Questions

My Story is a story telling competition to find the nation's most remarkable true stories. The BBC is inviting the whole country to tell and share their real life stories. The most compelling stories will be told on BBC One in 2010 and the winners will see their experiences published as paperback books. Stories may be published on the website if they conform with the My Story online House Rules.

True stories have inspired some of the most successful books and films of all time; by offering the chance to follow in their footsteps, My Story is a BBC campaign that hopes to get the whole nation writing and reading.

The online House Rules say what the BBC will and won't publish on the My Story website. But whether your story gets published online or not, it will still be entered into the My Story competition and seen by the judges.

Read the full online House Rules

You can enter the My Story competition using the Add your story form. You can also download a postal entry form from the same page.

Postal entry forms are also in the My Story magazine. You can get a copy of the magazine through the BBC phoneline on 0800 0150 950 or alternatively you can pick up a copy in your local library.

Midnight on 16th December 2009

For the avoidance of any doubt, this means at 23:59 on 16th December, so you will have the full day on the 16th to submit your story.

Write your story first, save it, and then copy and paste it into the 'add your story' form

There are three simple steps to follow to submit your story:

1. On the first screen, you'll need to give your story a title and a short description. This is where you add your full story.

2. On the next screen, you'll need to give us a summary of your story - to tell us about the main points and people involved. To help other people find your story on the website, select the theme which best fits your story, and add any other key words that help describe it. Lastly, tell us where the main events in your story took place.

3. Finally on the last screen, enter your first name, second name and email address and phone number, and use the dropdown list to tell us where you live. Only your first name, the title of your story and the region in which it took place will appear on the website. We also need to know that the story you're sending in is yours and that it's true, and you must let us know that you've read and understood the competition and website rules by ticking the boxes.

Once you have done this, click submit. Your story will be entered into the competition and, if it fits the online house rules, will be published right here on the My Story website.

Yes. Initial judging will be based on your summary only, so make sure it covers all your main points. You will not be able to enter the competition without a summary.

No. Whilst we would encourage you to send your story to us via the website, you can send your story in writing to:

PO Box 65655, London, W12 2BG

Your story will not appear on the website if you send it in by post, but it will be entered into the competition. You must include a completed entry form if you send in your story by post.

If you need inspiration, watch the videos featuring amazing true stories from a variety of people including Ray Winstone, Fiona Phillips and James Caan (not that one).

On BBC raw you'll find videos and activities to help you plan your writing, develop ideas and improve your writing skills.

Drop in to story-telling workshops with your local BBC team, hear remarkable stories from familiar faces and pick up tips for telling your own true-life stories.

Activities run all day, 10am - 5pm.

Families welcome.

The My Story roadshows run throughout September and October.

Dates and locations:

• 19th Sept: Peckham Library Square, London
• 26th Sept: All Saints Square, Rotherham
• 3rd Oct: Centre Square, Middlesbrough
• 17th Oct: The Riverfront Theatre, Newport
• 24th Oct: The Winter Gardens, Blackpool
• 31st Oct: The Mitchell Library, Glasgow

Yes. You may feel you need help writing your story down or putting it on the website. You can get help from friends and family or, if you need access to a computer and the internet, you can visit your local UK online centre or library where you can get extra support and advice. But your story should be told in your own words.

Yes. If your story is picked for the shortlist, a member of the TV team will be in touch to verify the contents of your story and all names.

Stories will be judged on a number of criteria and your story does not have to meet all of the criteria.

Judges are looking at: is the story remarkable?; does it have a strong central theme?; does it or is it likely to engage the reader?; does it or is it likely to provoke empathy?; does it have strong characters?; is it entertaining and/or informative?; does it or is it likely to offer support to the reader?; is it inspiring in some way? Events described in the stories will be the main criteria for judging. Stories will be judged on their potential for development as an engaging non-fiction book rather than as an assessment of the author's writing or grammatical skills.

Short-listed entries will be read by a panel of expert judges using the criteria listed above including compliance with the rules. The best entries will be selected and then be checked for verification. Up to 15 finalists will be selected for inclusion in a television series planned for BBC One.

Approximately fifteen of the best stories will be turned into a series of TV programmes to be aired on BBC One in 2010. There will be approximately five themes for the TV phase and approximately three finalists' stories per theme chosen by the judges. One person from each programme will have their story published as a paperback book. Winners will receive an advance and royalties.

The prize(s) must be taken as stated and cannot be deferred or transferred.

Yes. The story and summary will be translated into English for judging purposes. All conversations will take place in English, the TV programme will be in English and the winning stories will be published in English. If your story is published on the website, it will be in Welsh only.

Untold means that you cannot have told your story before in a book, magazine, newspaper or broadcast (however it may have been reported by someone else). Please note these rules do not apply to brief references within reported news stories, which will be judged on a case by case basis. Anyone with a current publishing contract (in the UK or anywhere else) or whose story/writing is subject to any third party rights or restrictions is not allowed to enter this competition. Stories which have appeared online are eligible for entry.

Once you submit your story it will go though a moderation process to make sure that it complies with the online House Rules. If we decide that your story complies it will be published on the My Story website for everyone to see. Once you hit submit you are automatically entered into the competition. Even if your story does not comply with the online House Rules it is still entered into the competition.

Yes, provided your story is based on a true life event or experience that includes you in some way. You must seek permission from any person referred to in the story, if this is not possible you will need to give reasons on request.

Yes. A free My Story magazine will be available from participating libraries and UK online centres from September 2009. For practitioners or community groups, the magazine can be ordered at raw partners.

Practitioners can also find activities, reading lists and quizzes to download from this section to help their learners enter their stories into the competition.

There will be a My Story roadshow throughout September and October.

UK online centres, in England, and most libraries have computers with internet access which are free to use. Staff will be able to help you get onto the My Story website. To find your nearest participating UK online centre or library, ring our free information line on 0800 0150 950.

We have identified thirteen themes intended to help people find the stories that interest them most on the website. When you submit your story, you will be asked to choose the one you think best fits your story. They are: Achievement; Bravery; Charity; Family & friends; Romance; Survival; Tragedy; Adventure; Celebration; Discovery; Humour; Sadness; The outdoors.

You can also add your own descriptive key words to your story.

The TV themes will not necessarily reflect the 13 themes on the website. The website themes have been chosen to help site users easily browse published stories.

We will only ever use personal details for the purposes of review, and will not publish them or provide them to anyone without permission. However all stories and summaries submitted via the Website will be passed to the TV production company, Shine North for judging purposes only and the personal details of the entrants shortlisted will be provided to Shine North for the purposes of the competition only. Entries submitted by post will be passed to Shine North in their entirety which will include your personal information submitted as part of your postal entry.

The only personal information required is name, telephone number, email address and your location. The BBC will keep this information for the period of the project. At the end of this period all personal information will be destroyed.