Write About Walking is what we are inviting you to put your hands to in the next 7 weeks. Last July we launched our first writing competition, Lydia Kennaway (poetry) and Claudia Zeiske (prose) were our winners, becoming our 2021/22 writers-in-residence. Their first duty was to decide on the theme for this writing competition, and they have chosen “Walking Home”. You can choose how you wish to interpret the theme and in what genre you want to write or whether it is a poem or a prose piece. It can be fiction, or factual or memoire, and not be limited to your own walks home, the only restriction is whatever you write, your submission must be in just 250 words (or fewer).

We invite you to write a (flash) story or poem of 250 words or under about “Walking Home”

We will publish an anthology of the best poetry and prose submitted both in an illustrated chapbook anthology as well as an audio locative podcast.  Shortlisted pieces will be showcased during Sound Walk September 2022, at a public online event in which the shortlisted authors and poets of this writing competition will be invited to read their work.

We take submissions from now, until midnight (UTC) on Monday 31 January .

Winners will be published in Walking, a limited edition illustrated chapbook anthology, published by Sampson Low Publishers in the Spring of 2022, the net proceeds of which will go towards funding future instances of Sound Walk September. The anthology will also be made available as an audio locative podcast. You can purchase a copy of the chapbook from our previous competition here.

Key dates:

• Submission deadline: midnight (UTC) on Monday 31 January 2022.
• February & March – our judges will draw up a long-list. All poems and stories on the list will be published on the walk · listen · create website from March 2022.
• April – Printed illustrated chapbook anthology of shortlisted pieces published (for public sale)and audio locative podcast.
• Sunday 10 April – Shortlisters’ Writers’ Circle Prize event – exclusive private event.
• Sunday 25 September – Shortlisters’ Showcase – public event – winners & runners-up announced

Prizes:

Shortlisted authors will receive 2 complimentary copies of the anthology, be invited to an exclusive Writers’ Circle event on Sunday 10 April, and will be invited to read their work at the Write About Walking Showcase on the final Sunday of Sound Walk September, Sunday 25 September.

The judges will be asked to choose their winner and runner up in both the poetry and prose categories, for which the winners will be invited to be a walk · listen · create on-line Poet- or Writer-in-residence for 2022/3. Each winner will also receive Silver Membership to walk · listen · create (worth €50). They and the runners up, will each receive an artwork that illustrates their poem or story, created by Alban Low. 

The competition closes at midnight UTC,  Monday 31 January

Entry:

There is an entry fee (to cover administration costs) of €6 for one flash piece or poem and €9 for two (entrants are limited to 2 entries only – you may submit a poem and a story, two poems or two stories). The entry fee will be waived for those unable to afford it.

Our judges:

We are delighted to announce that Lydia Kennaway, our current Poet in residence and Anita Roy have volunteered to act as judges for the poetry competition. They join Dr Kerri Andrews  and Simon Piasecki, who are the judges for the prose pieces. 

Chris Bestwick will edit the anthology, and it will be illustrated by Alban Low. The Write About Walking competition is run by the Museum of Walking and walk · listen · create.

You can get creative writing tips by downloading this audio-guide produced by Rebekah Lattin-Rawstrone, or join a Writing Words of Wonder creative writing workshop with E. E. Rhodes here

If you wish to enter please read the guidelines below.

Terms and Conditions

You need to register on the walk · listen · create website, return to the top of this page to pay the submission fee (a purchase), check that your purchase has been successful on your profile page, and then submit your piece(s).

The Theme

We want to read poems and stories about “Walking Home“. The stories or poems can be fiction or factual, travelogue, reportage or memoire but must be no more than 250 words in length. Judges’ decisions on this matter are final.

Poetry judges

Prose judges

Anthology Editor

Anthology illustrator

Eligibility

1. Entrants must be 16 years or over.
2. Entry is open to everyone.
3. An entry can only be made by the work’s individual author.
4. Entries must not have been previously published in print or online, been broadcast or won a prize.
5. Entries must not include any defamatory language.
6. Entries must clearly respond to the theme, be original and written in English. They must also be for adult or young adult readers. Non-fiction and fiction written for children under 13 years is not eligible.
7. Simultaneous submission is permitted. Should your writing piece win a prize or be published elsewhere, please let us know so that we may remove your entry from the current competition.
8. Authors retain full worldwide copyright throughout.

Format

1. Maximum length is 250 words excluding the title (that mustn’t exceed 8 words).
2. Entries can be either fiction or non-fiction.
3. Entries should be typed in a plain legible font. A sans 12pt font is suggested.
4. Entries will be read and judged anonymously so do not put your name, address, email, telephone number or any personally identifying information on any page.
5. If the piece has no title, then its first five words must be used as the title.
6. Acceptable file types are PDF only.

Submitting

You need to register on the walk · listen · create website and submit your piece(s) at the top of this page.

1. Entries will not be returned so please keep a copy.
2. Entries can be retracted at any time up to the closure of the competition.
3. Entrants are limited to 2 entries each.
4. The competition closes at midnight UTC,  Monday 31 January 2022.
5. No correspondence will be entered into regarding the judges’s decisions and no feedback will be provided.

Payment

The standard fee is €6.00 for one submission and €9.00 for two (which can be either 2 stories, 2 poems or one of each). The entry fee will be waived for those unable to afford the fee – please contact us here.

Editing the longlist and anthology

As the anthology editor may need to make slight editorial changes, long listed authors (this includes those shortlisted) grant access to their email address by the editor.

Audio recording of shortlisted pieces

Authors will be invited to record themselves reading their work, or can choose to be contacted by the organisers, to record them over the Internet, or can choose to have a reader hired by the organisers, to read their work on their behalf.

Time line

• Competition launch – mid December 2021
• Submission deadline: midnight (UTC) on Monday 31 January 2022.
• February & March – our judges will draw up a long-list. All poems and stories on the list will be published on the walk · listen · create website during from March 2022.
• April – Printed illustrated chapbook anthology of shortlisted pieces published (for public sale)and audio locative podcast.
• Sunday 10 April – Shortlisters’ Writers’ Circle Prize event – exclusive private event.
• Sunday 25 September – Shortlisters’ Showcase – public event – winners & runners-up announced

Refunds

1. Full no quibble refunds are available up to the closing date. Contact us should the need arise.
2. Once the closing date has passed, no refunds can be made.

Prizes

1. Winners and Runners-up will be announced at the Showcase event on Sunday 25 September. One winner in each category: poetry and prose will be invited to become a walk · listen · create on-line Poet- or Writer-in-residence for 2022/3, they also receive an artwork illustration by Alban Low and 2 copies of Walking the illustrated limited edition chapbook that will be published at the beginning of April. Each winner will also receive Silver Membership to walk · listen · create (worth €50)
   The runner up in each category will receive an artwork illustration by Alban Low and 2 copies of the illustrated limited edition chapbook. 
   All the authors of shortlisted entries will receive 2 copies of the illustrated limited edition chapbook (publishing beginning of April), be invited to an exclusive Writers’ Circle event on Sunday 10 April, and be invited to read their work at a live on-line showcase event on the final Sunday of Sound Walk September, on 25 September.
   Long-listed entries (includes the shortlist as well) will be published on the walk · listen · create website during March.
2. The results of the competition will be announced on the walk · listen · create and Museum of Walking websites.
3. Entrants retain copyright.

Entry constitutes acceptance of all rules. Entries that fail to comply with the rules will be disqualified. No correspondence can be entered into, judges’ decisions are final.

Sampson Low Publishers, as an imprint, has existed for over two hundred years. Today it’s still managed by the Low family, and based just outside London. They have published diverse works from Noddy to Jules Verne to sporting heroes like Dennis Compton. One newish interest is in publishing small-scale chapbooks, often combining the work of writers and artists. The format is perfect for pithy written works that can be enjoyed in one sitting.

Museum of Walking. It was at the Banff Centre in the Canadian Rockies on a Walking and Art Residency in 2007 that an idea of a Museum dedicated solely to walking and art was developed by Andrew Stuck. The museum would be a showpiece for events around walking. It would promote walking and it would promote art and creativity and bring the two together. We chose to broaden it by inviting Co-creators to work together to create a variety of different walking opportunities. Our intention has always been to encourage people to dip their toes into trying new things, out and about on foot, giving them the chance of being more creative “the art is in taking part”.

walk · listen · create is a not for profit art organisation which encourages collaborations between artists, performers and writers and catalogues the publications of artists who walk, and provide a place for walking artists to share their work, thoughts, pieces and events.