Competition Rules

Last updated 27 May 2024.

These Competition Rules set out the agreement between Not Quite Write (“we”) and entrants (“you”) regarding entry into a round of the Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction (“the competition”). The Competition Rules constitute the terms and conditions for entry.

Anyone in the world can enter the competition. The competition is run from New South Wales, Australia. All times, dates and monetary amounts are of that region unless otherwise specified.

By entering the competition, you declare that your entry is a work of original fiction composed by you specifically for the competition, and that it was not written wholly or in substantial part prior to commencement of the competition, or for another purpose.

Key dates

The competition runs quarterly and commences at midday AEST or AEDT as applicable on the third Friday of the relevant month (January, April, July, October) (“commencement”). Note: In 2025 the competition will commence on the fourth Friday of the relevant month.

At commencement, we will announce the prompts by email to current ticket holders. We will also publish the prompts in the Participant Lounge on our website.

The competition closes at midnight on the following Sunday AEST or AEDT as applicable (“deadline”). Late entries will not be accepted except in the event of a catastrophic technological or other failure on our part, or otherwise at our sole discretion.

The 60-hour period between the commencement and deadline of the competition is referred to as the “competition window”.

The judging process will begin the next day and continue for 6 weeks (“judging window”). We will announce the shortlisted entries and prize winners on our website and podcast alongside each author’s name (or, where provided, pen name) on the final Sunday of the judging window (“announcement”). We may also announce longlisted entries prior to this date at our discretion.

We reserve the right to modify the judging window and/or advance or delay the announcements at our discretion.

How to enter

You must hold a ticket to enter the competition. Your ticket is valid for one entry to the current round of the competition.

In addition to entry, your ticket grants you access to our exclusive Participant Lounge and Forum.

The Participant Lounge is an exclusive online space available to ticket holders and acts as your portal to the competition entry form and Not Quite Write Forum. From time-to-time, the Participant Lounge may also provide access to exclusive content and discounts.

Your access to the Participant Lounge and Forum will begin when you purchase your ticket and will continue into future rounds of the competition regardless of whether you purchase a ticket for those rounds.

You must submit your entry using the form in the Participant Lounge (“entry form”). The entry form will only appear to current ticket holders in the Participant Lounge during competition window. Email entries will not be accepted.

It is your sole responsibility to ensure we receive your entry via the entry form by the deadline.

We reserve the right to make reasonable accommodations to allow entrants with relevant disabilities to participate in the competition. What is “reasonable” in this case will be at our sole discretion, however must, at a minimum, allow the judges to consider the entry without being able to identify the entrant.

Refer to our Refund Policy for details about how and when we offer refunds.

Required entry format

Your entry must demonstrate that you have followed two typical prompts and one anti-prompt (“the prompts”) which we provide at the commencement of each round of the competition.

The prompts will be in the following form:

Word prompt: You will be given a word which you must use somewhere in the main body of your entry. This word must be used in full, with no spaces or interrupting punctuation, however it may be included within a longer word provided the original spelling is retained. For example, if the word were “ice,” we would accept “iced,” “splice” and “jaundice” but we would not accept “icicle”, “icy” or “I.C.E.”
Action prompt: You will be given an action which must feature somewhere in your entry. You don’t need to use the exact wording of the action provided, and you can feature the action prominently or simply as an aside. It may occur before the beginning of your story or after it ends provided it is referenced either directly or by implication within the main body of your entry.
Anti-prompt: The anti-prompt will challenge you to break a traditionally accepted “rule” of writing. More information about the anti-prompt can be found on the Not Quite Write podcast and website.

You may interpret these prompts in whatever creative way you see fit. The judges will consider all entries written genuinely in the spirit of the prompts, however ALL THREE prompts must be addressed. Where necessary, you will have the opportunity to explain your interpretation of the prompts in the Brief Explanation field of the entry form.

Your entry must be strictly no more than 500 words. The title is not included in this count. Hyphenated words count as one word. Some forms of punctuation may be counted as words. Ultimately, the word count is determined by the entry form and entries will be automatically truncated at 500 words.

Your entry must be written substantially in the English language. You may use some words and phrases from other languages provided the meaning is clear in the context of your entry.

It is your sole responsibility to ensure you submit a complete and compliant entry.

If you make an error, you may resubmit your entry within the competition window using the word RESUBMITTING before the title in the Title field. We will take your most recent entry for judging.

The prizes

The competition is a game of skill. The judges will award all prizes on merit, and merit will be determined at their sole and subjective discretion. In the unlikely event of a tie, prize monies will be split evenly between the relevant entries.

There is a total prize pool of AU$2,000 for each round of the competition. Prize monies will be distributed as follows:

1st place AU$1,000
2nd place AU$500
3rd place AU$200
4th place AU$100
Honourable mention AU$50
Honourable mention AU$50
Wildcard AU$50
Wildcard AU$50

The two wildcard prizes may be awarded to any two entries which the judges wish to recognise, but which were otherwise not selected for the shortlist. The possible reasons for awarding a wildcard prize are unlimited, and the reasons will be determined during the judging window in response to the entries received.

Cash prizes will be distributed by bank transfer (if in Australia) or PayPal (if international). Any applicable currency conversion will be determined by the relevant financial institution at the time of transfer. All applicable fees and taxes are the sole responsibility of the prize winners.

How we determine the winners

The competition will be judged blind by the hosts of the Not Quite Write podcast, Ed and Amanda (“the judges”). We reserve the right to call on additional judges for assistance for any reason and at our sole discretion.

The entry form facilitates blind judging by allowing us to de-identify entries before judging begins. During judging, the judges will only see information entered in the Title, Entry, and Brief Explanation fields. For this reason, you must not include any information in these fields which could reasonably identify you as the entrant. This includes characters, themes and settings that may identify you. We will exclude identifiable entries from consideration for monetary prizes in the interests of fairness.

Because judging is blind, the competition remains open to friends and family of Not Quite Write.

We reserve the right to make all decisions necessary to facilitate the competition, including determining the specific judging methods and processes of elimination, which may vary between rounds. The judges’ decision on all matters is final.

Privacy and Intellectual Property rights

By entering the competition, you agree to allow us to publicly discuss your entry on the podcast and in writing. If you provide a pen name, we will use your pen name in place of your full name in all communications.

If you are longlisted, you agree to allow Not Quite Write to publish the title of your entry and your full name (or pen name) in perpetuity both in writing and audio on all Not Quite Write platforms and social media.

If you are shortlisted, win a prize, or have purchased a Daredevil add-on to your ticket, you agree to allow Not Quite Write to publish your entire entry and your full name (or pen name) in perpetuity both in writing and audio on all Not Quite Write platforms and social media.

You retain all other rights to your work however you agree however not to sell or publish your entry until after the announcement to preserve anonymity in the judging process.

Refer to our Privacy Policy for more information about how we collect, store, and use your personal information.

Responsibility for notices

It is your sole responsibility to mark relevant dates and times in your calendar, noting the relevant time zone, and ensure that you have all the information necessary to enter the competition before the deadline.

We strongly recommend you add the notquitewrite.com domain to your email safe senders list to ensure timely communication about the competition. We also recommend you periodically check our website for updates.

Plagiarism and bad faith

Plagiarism has no place in the competition. Entrants found to have plagiarised any part of their entry will be disqualified, and their entry fee forfeited.

Further, any entrants found to have otherwise acted in bad faith may be disqualified and their entry fee forfeited at the sole discretion of the judges.

Artificial Intelligence (A.I.)

By entering the competition, you agree that your work is your own creation and not generated in whole or part by A.I. or similar means.

We recognise that A.I. tools have a place in researching and workshopping ideas and editing grammar and basic syntax, so you may use technology in this way.

Entrants found to have generated any part of their entry by A.I. or similar means will be disqualified, and their entry fee forfeited.

Costs and indemnity

You agree to accept full responsibility for any costs you incur in connection with entering the competition.

You also agree to indemnify us from any liability associated with your entry to the competition including, but not limited to, claims of any violation or personal or proprietary rights associated with your entry or the publication of your entry by us.

We are not responsible for any entries lost, misdirected or otherwise mishandled. It is your sole responsibility to maintain a backup of your entry.

Contact

If you have any questions about these rules, please consult the F.A.Q. before emailing us at contact@notquitewrite.com