Competitions
Festival Book Review Competition
16-year-old Lucy Byford has been named as the winner of the Festival Book Review Competition. She's won a £20 book card from Waterstone's, the sponsor of the event: picture and details.
The Chiswick Book Festival Treasure Hunt
Oliver Simkin, Amari Orr Deas, and Lara Orlandi are the winners of the Treasure Hunt in Turnham Green Terrace. They have each won an Usborne book from Trotters, the sponsor of the event. Thanks to Trotters, to Waterstone's and to all the firms in the Terrace who displayed children's book covers in their windows.
In addition, the Chiswick Book Festival is supporting other creative competitions linked to this year's writers and charities.
Ealing Arts Poetry Competition 2009
Last year's Ealing Arts Poetry Competition was judged by the Poet Laureate Andrew Motion and reached its climax at the Ealing Literary Festival, opposite St Michael's Church. This year's competition is being launched at the Chiswick Book Festival, as the centrepiece of the Poetry in the Church session on Saturday afternoon, at which last year's winners will read their poems.
The 2009 competition will be judged by the distinguished author and poet Kit Wright. The deadline is October 23rd. You can find out more about it, and print off an entry form, at the Ealing Arts & Leisure Poetry page.
Divine Poetry Competition 2009
Divine, the fairtrade chocolate company owned by cocoa farmers, has just announced the eighth annual national Divine Poetry Competition in association with Christian Aid. This year the mouthwatering theme is “…if I owned a chocolate company...” and the guest judge is top author Anthony Horowitz - who is the opening speaker at the Chiswick Book Festival.
This popular nationwide competition attracts thousands of entries each year and is open to all ages. The deadline for entries is Monday 21st December and the winners of the Divine chocolate prizes will be announced at the end of January 2010. Full details here.
Divine has also kindly provided thank-you gifts for each of the speakers at this year's Chiswick Book Festival.
The Ruth Rendell Short Story Competition
InterAct Reading Service - one of the Chiswick Book Festival's charities - has launched its second short story competition to find a writer in residence. The deadline is Monday December 21st 2009 and stories should not exceed 1,000 words. Full rules here.
InterAct is a registered UK charity that uses professional actors to provide a live and interactive reading service in hospitals and stroke clubs. One of its patrons is the distinguished crime writer Ruth Rendell. For further information about its work and the short story competition, please visit its website: www.interactreading.org