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Go shoppingThis competition has now closed and we are no longer accepting entries. Best of luck to all those who entered. We will announce the winner in September.
ATTENTION:
* Due to high demand, the deadline has been extended to 27 July 2011.
* Due to a higher than expected volume of applicants, the shortlist will be announced after 12 September.
Inspiring, encouraging and acknowledging the creativity of young people is a common goal for the London-based Litro Magazine and Warwick University’s International Gateway for Gifted Youth (IGGY). We are proud to announce that the Litro & IGGY International Short Story Award for Young Writers will be held again this year.
The Award is funded by Warwick University alumni and is open to young people from all over the world aged 11-19. In addition to a cash prize of £2,500, the winner will be published in Litro Magazine and see parts of their work displayed on a poster in a London Underground station. The winner and two runners-up will also have their story published online on Litro and on the IGGY website.
The illustrious panel of judges for this year includes the internationally acclaimed author Abdelkader Benali, poet Sabrina Mahfouz, George Ttoouli from Warwick University’s CAPITAL (Creativity and Performance in Teaching and Learning) Centre, and Cathy Galvin, 
Deputy Editor of the
 Sunday Times Magazine.
Abdelkader Benali and Sabrina Mahfouz:
- The competition will kick off in March. The deadline for entries is 25 July 2011.
- A shortlist of six entrants will be announced on 5Â September 2011, with the winner being announced at the award ceremony at the end of October.
- Entries should be no more than 2,500 words.
Commenting on the announcement of the award, Litro founder and editor in chief, Eric Akoto, said, “It is great news that the award will be going ahead again in 2011 and is a mark of the success of entrants from last year’s event. The award is a fantastic opportunity for aspiring young writers to showcase their talent and to be recognised for their literary creativity. We are delighted to be partnering again with IGGY on this. The magazine has thrived because of the creativity and talent of its writers and it’s exciting to think of who and what we might discover through this award.”
Ian Rowley, Warwick University’s Director of Development, Communication and Strategy, added, “IGGY is all about providing opportunity for talent to flourish, and we’re delighted to work with Litro on launching this exciting new prize. The judges of last year’s Litro/IGGY Short Story Competition were overwhelmed by the quality of entries and I think this year will be no different. The theme ‘Words Take You Further’ is designed to stimulate ideas and discussion on a very important topic to young people across the world: conflict. I can’t wait to see what the young people produce.”
The email address for submissions is: iggy.litro@warwick.ac.uk. Please provide your name, age and a contact email address when submitting.
Are we allowed to submit more than one story?
Please submit just the one entry.
Can they be humourous?
of course! knock us out!
so is there a theme? or can it be about anything?
Ed
It can be about anything you want.
I’m currently 19, but will turn 20 before the closing date. If I’m 19 when I submit is my entry valid?
Your entry will be valid if submitted before you turn 20.
My school says that I have to submit it via them, as they have to fill some forms too. Can I submit the short story without them playing middlemen or do I have to give it to them first?
You can submit independently.
I am from India. Does this affect if submit independently or not?
That should be fine.
can you enter online??
You can email your submission as an attachment to iggy.litro@warwick.ac.uk. Please give us your name, age and a contact email address in the body of the email when submitting.
In what form do we send it? As an attacthment or part of the email?
Please send your story as an attachment, JJ.
Can the story be in any genre(for example fantasy)?Thank you.
It certainly can be!
What extensions are accepted for the file?
A Word doc or docx file would be fine; either that or something which is compatible with those formats.
Are we allowed to have someone read our story over?
Yes that’s fine.
hi i have just got onto the website but i am a bit confused where to sign up.i looked at this website a few months ago but i put it off for ages now i want to do it i can’t work out how.help me!!!!! (what do i do to submit my story?)
Send your story to iggy.litro@warwick.ac.uk. Make sure you include your name, age and a contact email address.
THANK YOU
Do you accept international submissions (from the Middle East)?
Yes – the competition is entirely international.
Two questions webmaster-
Do you have to provide a title for your story?
If yes-
Is that 2,500 words including the title or not including the title?
Thanks
If you could provide a title, that would be great, as then it is easier to refer to your story during submission and judging. The title shouldn’t be counted in the final word count.
Hi webmaster, I was just wondering- Is it compulsory to provide an email address to be contacted by or will a contact mobile number suffice? Thanks
It would be best if we were able to contact you by email as well. This makes it easier when submitting; it also means that if we are unable to contact you by phone for some reason (or something happens to your mobile!) that we have another way to contact you. Also, in order to submit we do need you to email us your story :)
Oh ok thank you. Will provide email if that makes it easier and of corse it was a bit of a stupid question because you have to email your entry in anyway, lol, sorry :) thank you
I live in a place that is quite out of the way, i know it says that the competition is international but i was just wondering if you could tell me where the Award Ceremony at the end of October 2011 will be held. I may need to know because of travel costs to get there as there will be no point in me entering if i cannot afford the travel costs to the end award ceremony if i am lucky enough to be considered for the winner. Thank you
Sorry for the delay. The ceremony will be held in London but you do not have to attend.
Hi. On IGGY, the word limit is given as no more than 3,000, but on here it’s listed as 2,500. I was wondering which one was correct?
The word count is 2500.
I live in a place that is quite out of the way, i know it says that the competition is international but i was just wondering if you could tell me where the Award Ceremony at the end of October 2011 will be held. I may need to know because of travel costs to get there as there will be no point in me entering if i cannot afford it if i am lucky enough to be considered for the winner. Thank you
I was just wondering if the theme of ‘Words take you further’ is compulsry.
No, the theme isn’t compulsory.
You mention in the description that ‘The theme of “Words get you further” is designed to stimulate ideas and discussion on a very important topic to young people across the world, conflict.’ Does that mean you want us to write specifically about the theme of words and conflict? Or can we choose our own topic?
In addition, is there any place that I can read past winning entries? Thanks.
You can choose your own topic. This was the winning entry last year – https://www.litromagazine.com/index.php/2010/10/24/short-story-award-winner-points-of-view-by-callum-cleary/
If the word limit is 2,500, does that mean you are expecting something close to that? My story is 802 words. Is there minimum number of words, or are more words preferable?
802 words is fine – there is no minimum word count.
when you say short story, what is the shortist entry you can submit? thankyou, becca.
There is no minimum word count.
Hi webmaster, Like someone24, I live quite out of the way, and was wondering, for entering this competition, is going to the awards ceremony a compulsory part? just want to know if entering is a waste of time u see :D
No, attending the ceremony isn’t compulsory.
Is there any way to check that the email with story attached has definitely reached you?
Story submissions go to IGGY at Warwick University. I would recommend you send another email asking them to confirm they’ve received you story.
Hi, quick query, to what extent are bad language and adult references allowed? In my story’s case they are both mild and for laughs, nothing explicitly offensive! Thanks!
Hi, quick query, to what extent are swearing and adult references allowed? In my story’s case both are used humorously and very mildly. Thanks very much!
Mild swearing is fine, just be mindful that part of the prize is having an extract of your story displayed on a poster in a London Underground station!
Hi Im 13 years of age and I want to sign my story up how do I do It I can’t seem to do It?
Send your story to iggy.litro@warwick.ac.uk, including your name, age and a contact email address.
Would just like to know- when you say the competition closes on 25th of July, do you mean as soon as the day starts or is there a specific time you can’t submit your entries on that day, thanks :)
Is the competition still running? I read in another website that the competition is now closed.
Yes, the deadline is July 25th.
What a palesrue to find someone who identifies the issues so clearly
May I know if the shortlisted stories for last year can be published elsewhere by the authors. I mean, copyright matters now. Thanks
If you wish to republish a story, you need to send an email to info@Litro.co.uk with full details of the request.
Sorry, me again! When you say a shortlist of six entrants will be announced on the 5th of September, do you mean we’ll get an email, telling us if we are chosen or it will be announced on the website? Thank you.
Those on the shortlist will be notified both via email and an announcement online.
Hello! Do you consider don’t (/won’t/couldn’t/I’ll/we’ve) one word?
Thank you!
If we don’t attend the ceremony, will we still receive the prize?
does this competition cost anything to enter?
No, it is free to enter.
Where should we include our contact information? In the body of the email, in the story, or both?
You can include it in both if you wish.
Are we allowed to enter a story we’ve entered into another competition?
Yes, you can enter a story that you’ve entered elsewhere.
Hi, I was just wondering whether the theme is ‘conflict’, ‘words get you further’ or both incorporated together? Thanks!
You can either use ‘Conflict’ and ‘Words Take You Further’ separately or together. However, these are just starting points – you can choose your own topic if you wish.
Just wondering whether you send the story in the email or attach it to the email?
Either way is fine, as long as your name, age and contact email is clearly shown.
hi. There’s only a couple of days left so please answer as soon as possible. Where will the story be seen? I know its the under ground but what train stations will it be at mostly? Also is it 2500 words or 2000?
thanks x
The winning story will be shown in a central London underground station – the exact location has yet to be confirmed. The top word count is 2500.
Does the competition close as soon as the 25th starts (ie 00:00 pm of 24th) or when the 25th ends (00:00pm 25th and going on to 26th)?
Thanks
For those worried about the final deadline time – send in your story tomorrow if it is finished, but no later than 5pm. Best of luck!
what is the latest time that a story can be sent tomorrow?
Does the word count include the title and name bits?
Do we need to include a title and name in the actual document?
The title and your name shouldn’t be included in the final word count. If you could add just the story title to the document, that would be a good idea.
as the previous poster asked, can we send in an entry tomorrow at say… 6pm perhaps? as I am halfway through an entry you seee….
I would advise that it be by 5pm at the latest – 6pm is past the end of most working hours.
quick question what format do you ant it to be sent in? word?
I sent it in an hour late
oops.
Am I too late?
Will it not be accepted?
We’ve decided to extend the deadline to the 27th July so you’re ok! We are announcing the extension now.
What time zone is the 5 PM deadline?
British Summer Time (BST). However, due to the volume of applicants, we are extending the deadline to 27th July.
once ive sent it should i revieve a conformation email?
damn, i wish i knew that a tad bit earlierr.
Anyhow, i sent two emails. One was in a haste, it was uneditted and stuff but i wrote the second one properly i hope thats not a problem :)
where will the winners be announced? on the website? thanks
The winners will be announced on the website as well as notified by email.
thank you
Just curious, is there an approximate date we will find out a shortlist and/or the winner(s)?
shortlist anounced on site and by email on the 5th of September and the winner announced at awards ceremony in october :)
^Thanks!
what date and where would the ceremony be held?
The ceremony will be held in London – the exact date and location have yet to be confirmed.
At what time today will the short list be announced? Can’t wait! :)Not that I’m saying that I’m gonna be in the top six, but still. :)
where is the short list of 6 entrants?
Where on the site will it be announced. Today is the day the shortlist is announced but i cant find it anywhere on the website. I realise that we will get an email but if you are unable to access the email account then I was told that it would be published on the website too. Thank You.
^Same question :)
where do they publish the shortlist?
To everyone enquiring, due to higher than expected volumes of entrants the shortlist will be announced after September 12th.
thank you for finally informing us, some of us have been checking on and off since 7am this morning and have been eager to know. It should have been published earlier than 5 past 7pm on the website. Sorry for the moan :(
I do think that you should have told us about the date being extended before today. I woke up extra early this morning, hoping that the results may brighten up day (My first day at college today =/). And now I just feel like its been ruined….
Sorry Annie-Marie – it was our intention to announce today but we felt we needed more time so each story was judged fairly. Hopefully your first day at college went well!
where is the shortlist?
I found this on Litro’s Facebook page: “To everyone who entered our International Young Persons Short Story competition with Iggy – due to the high number of entrants, the shortlist will not be announced until after September 12.”
Apologies to all who were waiting for results yesterday. There has been some complications regarding the short list, but the long list has been released here:
https://www.litromagazine.com/index.php/2011/09/06/longlist-announcement-international-young-persons-short-story-award/
Thank you to all who entered.
Is there going to be any writing competitions for 2012?
Yes, there is! https://www.litromagazine.com/index.php/2012/03/international-young-persons-short-story-award-returns/
I would like to atend to your competition this year. How?
Details will be on the site soon, Nikol. Thanks for your interest.