The Elmbridge Literary Competition is an International Competition open to anyone.

To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Death of RC Sherriff and the Anniversary of the publication of ‘Three Men In A Boat’, The 20th Elmbridge Literary Competition is looking for short stories and poems on the theme of ‘The River’.

A maximum of one story and one poem per person can be entered. Short stories must be in English, previously unpublished and a maximum length of 1000 words (8-13 years) or 1500 words (14+).

Poems must be in English, previously unpublished and a maximum length of 30 lines typed, using Arial font and double-spaced.

Age Categories:

• Ages 5 – 7; Little rhymes and stories.
• Ages 8 – 11 (Junior); Poems and short stories.
• Ages 11 – 13 (Secondary) ; Poems and short stories.
• Ages 14 – 18; Poems and short stories.
• Ages Adult; Poems and short stories.

We are keen to encourage quality, so suggest writers to check their stories before submitting using Prowritingaid. They have free and paid versions and are the best writing software we know to help improve grammar, readability and check for repetition, ‘sticky’ sentences and suggest alternatives.