Are you based in Cornwall, Devon , Dorset or Somerset? Under 25? Want to write?
We are a team of volunteer, citizen journalists and editors, passionate about the truth, democracy and good writing. We’ve been going since late August 2020 and have already had well over 300,000 readers and high levels of engagement on social media. Take a look at our latest and previous editions for a flavour of our style, depth and breadth.
We are looking for young talent and invite entries for our competition, with a first prize of £50 and publication in West Country Voices as a lead article. Runners up will also have their articles published.
The theme is ‘2020’ and you can interpret that however you wish. We are looking for lively, engaging writing which will inform and entertain our readers. You might want to write about life in lockdown, or your view of the political scene, the climate emergency or your favourite film or book or place. It’s up to you. Surprise us!
Competition rules:
Your article should be in English and a minimum of 800 words and a maximum of 3,000.
Your entry must be submitted as a word document via email (see details below).
You can include an image or images, if you wish. They need to be 72dpi and 1200 pixels wide. If you do not own the image, please be sure to credit the creator.
Your piece must be original and not already published elsewhere.
To be eligible to enter, you must be aged 25 or under at the closing date of 8 Jan.
Entries will be judged by our editorial team and their decision will be final.
Please send your entry to editor_@west countrybylines.co.uk, with ‘Competition’ in the subject field. The closing date for the competition is midnight on Friday 8 January 2021. Please make sure that you include your name, age and a brief biography.
Results will be announced on or before 18 January, with publication of selected entries as soon as possible after that date. The winner and runners up will be notified via email. We may want to interview the winner (via Zoom) for WCB, too, so please get your parents’ permission if you are under 16.
Good luck and have fun! We cannot wait to read what you have to say!
If you would like to write for us regardless of the competition, please get in touch. We are always on the look out for new writers to showcase.
