Falkirk short story competition offers aspiring writers chance to shine

The 500 Words for Falkirk contest has been launched by the Great Place project to celebrate the rich heritage that makes the region an enjoyable area to live, work and visit.

Great Place is a partnership scheme involving Falkirk Council, Falkirk Community Trust, Scottish Canals and Green Action Trust.

With a number of prizes up for grabs, entrants are asked to tell a captivating tale – in no more than 500 words – that’s inspired by the people, history or landscape of the Falkirk area.

Those interested can send an application in for either the teenagers (12-17) or adults (18 and above) category.

Prizes include: £20 of book vouchers; a six-week creative writing course of the winner's choice, provided by Creative Writing Ink (worth £140); publication of the winning story in the Firewords Magazine (adult category) and the Our Stories website (teen category).

To be in with a chance of winning, entrants must ensure their story includes a Falkirk district landmark, description of the area or an anecdoate relevant to the region.

Only one entry is allowed per person.

Falkirk and Grangemouth areas with the lowest number of Covid-19 cases between December 13 and 19

A Great Place spokesperson said: “Our eclectic judging panel consists of the acclaimed Falkirk writers Alan Bisset, Helen MacKinven and Samantha Young; Craig Allan, editor of The Untitled Magazine; and members of the Firewords Magazine team.

“Stories will be judged anonymously, without regard to grammar, punctuation or spelling.”

Stories must be emailed to [email protected] no later than January 31..

The email subject should read: ‘Short Stories Competition: your name’.

Entrants must supply their name, email address, full postcode and phone number.

They should also state which age category they wish to be considered for.

Entrants for the teen category must obtain the consent of a parent or guardian prior to submitting a story.

Any entry by someone under 16 will not be deemed complete unless the following information is provided: the child’s name; the child’s age; the parent/guardian’s name; and a contact telephone number and email of the parent/guardian.

The following text should be included in the email entry: “I have read and agree to all competition rules.”

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