Please read this document in full to ensure that the writer and their story are eligible for the Award. Instructions on entering can be found in the Entry Instructions above.
THE AWARDS
1. There will be five writers shortlisted for the BBC Young Writers’ Award with Cambridge University. The five shortlisted stories are narrated by an actor and recorded for an exclusive broadcast on BBC. The stories are also published in an exclusive anthology dedicated to the Award. The five shortlisted writers are invited to take part in a creative writing workshop with a leading writer and a tour of BBC Broadcasting House, central London, followed by the Award ceremony which is broadcast live from the Radio 4’s flagship arts programme, Front Row. The five shortlisted writers will have the opportunity at the awards ceremony to meet leading writers, publishers, agents and broadcasters. Travel, accommodation, refreshments and special assistance as required are provided for each of the five shortlisted writers and an accompanying adult. Each shortlisted writer can invite a further three guests who are aged 14 and over to the Award ceremony (at their own cost). All writers will need to be accompanied by a parent/guardian or BBC chaperone.
2. There will be one winning writer of the BBC Young Writers’ Award with Cambridge University. The winning writer will in addition have a special one-to-one mentoring session with an author.
ELIGIBILITY
3. The BBC Young Writers’ Award is open to UK residents, including residents of the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, aged 14 to 18 years old on the submission deadline 9am (GMT) Monday 25th March 2024, except the children or close relatives of employees of the BBC, BBC Group company, Cambridge University, or anyone connected with the Award or their direct family members. Proof of identity and eligibility may be requested. Entries must be submitted by the writer, with an adult’s permission (i.e. parent, guardian or teacher) if the writer is under 16 years of age. Writers can only enter individually and not as part of a writing team.
4. The story must not be more than one thousand (1,000) words. There is no lower word limit but the entry needs to be a story.
5. The story must be an original piece of fiction. Stories can feature well-known public figures from present day or from history (e.g. Stormzy or Charles Darwin) or can take place in historical eras (e.g. the Victorian era) or use real-life experiences as a creative springboard as long as the story is fictional. Fan-fiction will not be accepted. The writer guarantees that they haven’t used material or depicted events that actually took place or used the personal details of any living persons in the story. As the stories will be published, it is important that applicants do not include any personal details about themselves.
6. The use of generative AI tools to create any part of an entry is not permitted and will lead to disqualification.
7. The story entered must either be unpublished; or be first published in print or scheduled for publication/broadcast after 1 January 2023. If the story has been adapted, extracted or extended from an existing piece of published/broadcast fiction by the writer, including a piece published/broadcast or scheduled for publication/broadcast after 1 January 2024, please indicate this on the Entry Form.
8. Writers can only enter individually and not as part of a writing pair or team.
9. Each writer may submit only one story. If more than one story is submitted, only the first story received will be considered.
10. Entries should be submitted in English, or if written in Gaelic or Welsh must include a translation
11. Writers must supply full details as required, and comply with all rules to be eligible for the Award.
12. Shortlisted writers are encouraged to attend the Award ceremony on Tuesday, 1st October 2024 (date is subject to change), and to also to take part in some press activity immediately following the announcement of the shortlist and the winner. Shortlisted and winning writers must wait until the official announcements have been made before they make their success publicly known, so they must not publish or otherwise let it be publicly known via social media. To do so runs the risk of their entry being disqualified, which may lead to the shortlist and winning story being revised.
13. The former winning writers and any story previously entered into the BBC Young Writers’ Award 2015, 2016 and 2017; the BBC Young Writers’ Award with First Story and Cambridge University 2018, 2019, 2020; or the BBC Young Writers’ Award with Cambridge University 2021, 2022 and 2023 are ineligible.
JUDGING
14. Entries are judged on the following guidelines:
– Quality of writing
– Originality, imagination and creativity
– Sentence structure and language
– Writer’s ability to tell a story, capture the reader and hold their attention.
15. The Award is judged in three stages:
Stage 1: All entries are read and judged anonymously by at least two readers against the Award reading guidelines. Readers are from a mixture of backgrounds, with literary expertise, and drawn from across the BBC and Cambridge University’s networks. The best fifty (50) stories will then be put forward to the five judges.
Stage 2: All five judges will together select a shortlist of five outstanding short stories submitted for the Award.
Stage 3: The judging panel will together discuss and agree on the winning story.
16. Shortlisted and winning writers will be contacted by email or telephone, either personally if the writer is over 16 or via the adult that approved the entry if the writer is under 16.
17. The shortlist is likely to be announced on Sunday 15th September 2024 and the winner on Tuesday 1st October 2024 (dates subject to change). Both announcements will be published on the BBC website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/ywa), and Cambridge University website. Please check back on the websites for updates. In addition, a list of stories highly commended by the judges may also be published on the website alongside the announcement of the shortlist. By entering the Award, the writer agrees to their name and the title of their story being published on the website in the event only of their story being shortlisted or commended by the judges.
18. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. The judging will be fair and independent. The judging panel will be appointed by the Award Team and will be made up of a guest panel of five judges, including the chairperson who is a representative from the BBC. All judges are required to declare any personal and/or financial interests in relation to any writers.
19. This award complies with the BBC’s editorial guidelines for Competitions, Votes and Awards. Any permitted reference to the Award by the winner and shortlisted writers will be outlined by the BBC. Please see: https://www.bbc.com/editorialguidelines/guidelines/competitions-votes-interactivity Entries must be suitable for broadcast or publication by the BBC for audiences of all ages. For further information see BBC Editorial Guidelines. If the story has troubling content, the BBC may take advice from the NSPCC, and may refer to the relevant authorities in accordance with the BBC Child Protection Policy. By submitting the Entry Form the writer guarantees that they or the story they’ve submitted will not bring the BBC into disrepute. To do so would result in disqualification. Ineligible, obscene or fraudulent entries will be automatically disqualified.
ADMINISTRATION AND COMMUNICATION
20. For entries submitted online, an Entry Form must be submitted at https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u160676434 by 9am (GMT) on Monday 25th March 2024. If entries for the Award are submitted by post, then a Postal Entry Form and six (6) copies of the short story must be received at The BBC Young Writers’ Award 2024 with Cambridge University, Room 6015, BBC Broadcasting House, W1A 1AA by 9am (GMT) on Monday 25th March 2024.
21. Entries sent in by post are not acknowledged, and the Award Team does not accept any responsibility for late, lost or damaged entries. Proof of sending is not proof of receipt. Hand-delivered entries will not be accepted. Entries submitted online will receive an automated acknowledgement. Entries cannot be returned, so remember to keep a copy.
22. An adult who approves an entry for a writer shall be deemed by the act of ticking the check box and providing their contact details on the Entry Form, to have obtained the writer’s informed permission and approval of all terms and conditions contained in these Terms and Conditions and to have taken on the responsibility of guaranteeing and procuring the writer’s compliance with the terms and conditions set out here. If such adult has failed to do so, the Award Team may at its sole discretion disqualify the entry and/or reclaim any award and revise the shortlist and (if applicable) winning entry.
23. The Award Team is responsible for administering the Award and will consist of representatives from the BBC. The Award Team can refuse entry to the Award for any reason it decides is reasonable. The Award Team reserves the right amend these Terms and Conditions, or cancel this Award at any stage, if deemed necessary in its opinion, or if circumstances arise outside of its control.
COPYRIGHT
24. Writers keep the copyright in their stories but grant to the BBC and its licensees a perpetual non-exclusive royalty-free licence for all uses in all media including, but not limited to, to perform, publish, broadcast, podcast and post the story online and on any other platforms yet to be envisaged.
25. Shortlisted stories may be published on the websites of the BBC, its partner Cambridge University, and national media or other content providers to celebrate your success and promote the award. Shortlisted stories may be published in an official BBC Young Writers’ Award booklet or Anthology. If this happens, the writer will be deemed to have granted the rights for such publication and distribution (including via electronic distribution such as Kindle, Kobo or Nook devices), and for future award publications. The rights for publication will be non-exclusive, with no bar on publication rights elsewhere. The writer retains the moral right to be identified as the author of their story. This licence will be deemed to include all the necessary rights and permissions to enable such use by the BBC, to fulfil the Award and to complete the administration of this award. By submitting a story the entrant agrees that the BBC may in its sole discretion edit, adapt or abridge it for the sole purposes of broadcast and other activities set out above.
26. The writer understands and agrees that the BBC (or any of its affiliates or partners) is not responsible for any loss or damage in relation to this Award, to the fullest extent under the law.
27. The BBC and Cambridge University do not accept responsibility for any technical failure, malfunction or any other problem with any server, internet access system, programme software, the postal service or otherwise which may result in any entry being lost, late or not properly registered or recorded.
28. No commercial gain can be made by the entrant from using or referencing the BBC brand, Cambridge University, the award itself or any other element of this awards process.
29. These rules and the entry submitted shall form a contract which is governed by the laws of England and the jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.