Competition - Write Now!
Stories from young people in West Gippsland.

Competition now closed! Stay tuned: we will announce the winners soon. Good luck to all of our entrants.

These certainly are uncertain times! We’d love to hear your thoughts, feelings and ideas about our changing world in our writing competition: Write Now!

We’re inviting young people in West Gippsland aged between 5 and 25 to submit a story about how the world has changed over the last few months, or a personal reflection of your experience living through the isolation period. Your entry can be fiction or non fiction, it can even be poetry or a diary entry, as long as the theme is My Changing World! We would love to hear from you!

How to enter –

 Submit your entry via email: youngwritersWGL@gmail.com

• Your entry must be based on the theme My Changing World.
• Stories must be submitted via email as a word compatible document.
• Title of the story must be used in the email subject line. This can be any title that the entrant chooses. 
• All entries must contain the entrant’s name, age, library card number and contact number. Entrants under 18 must include their parent/guardian name and mobile phone number. 
• Stories for 5-8 must contain no more than 300 words. Stories for 9-12 year olds must contain no more than 500 words. Stories for 13-17 year olds must contain no more than 750 words. Stories for 18-25 year olds must contain no more than 1000 words. There is no minimum length for any age category.
• If you are not a library member, you can easily join online Join the Club

Theme – My Changing World

Age Limit – 5-25 (4 categories)

Prizes – Prizes will be awarded to the following age groups : 5-8, 9-12,13-17,18-25

Competition Opens – Monday 29th June 9am (AESDT)

Competition Closes – Sunday 9th August 6pm (AESDT)

Winners will be notified via email – Friday 21st August 5pm (AESDT)

Entries will be shortlisted by West Gippsland Library staff, and prizes will be awarded by guest judge Kit Fennessey.

Submission guidelines:

1. This competition is being run by West Gippsland Library (the ‘Promoter’) (ABN 90 793 610 846 of 65 Victoria Street, Warragul, Vic 3820. Telephone (03) 56 22 2849.
2. This competition commences Monday 29^th July at 9am AEST and closes on Sunday 9th August 6pm AEST.
3. All entries must be written by an author who lives, studies or works in Bass Coast, Baw Baw or South Gippsland Shires who will be 25 years old or younger during 2020.
4. All entries must be written in English and submitted online to youngwritersWGL@gmail.com as a word compatible document (.doc or .docx) by closing date: Closing at Sunday 9th August at 6pm. The title of the entry must be used in the Subject line of the email.
5. Stories for 5-8 must contain no more than 300 words. Stories for 9-12 year olds must contain no more than 500 words. Stories for 13-17 year olds must contain no more than 750 words. Stories for 18-25 year olds must contain no more than 1000 words. There is no minimum length for any age category.
6. All stories must not be previously published or have won other prizes.
7. For judging purposes, the author’s name should not be included in the story or saved as the file name; it must be included only on the submission form.
8. A submission form must be filled out with name, birth date, mobile number, connection to West Gippsland, a short bio about your writing journey and parental consent for entrants under the age of 18.
9. Number of entries is limited to one per person.
10. Incomplete, indecipherable or illegible entries will be deemed invalid.
11. Winners will be notified via email on Friday 21st of August 5pm. Winning entries will be published on our website wgrlc.vic.gov.au. Names of winning entrants will be displayed using their first name and last initial. Winners will also be announced on the WGL Facebook page, after all winners have been contacted.
12. The competition will be shortlisted by West Gippsland Libraries staff members. The shortlisted entries will be judged by local author Kit Fennessey who will decide on a winner in each category.
13. Entries will be judged by or on behalf of the Promoter based on, amongst other things, creativity and literary merit. The best valid entry as determined by or on behalf of the Promoter will win the prize. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
14. Each winner will receive a Visa E-Gift Card. The prize is not transferable or exchangeable and cannot be taken as cash. The Promoter reserves the right to change the prize to one of the same or equal value at any time if the prize becomes unavailable. 
15. As a condition of entering this promotion, each entrant licenses the Promoter to use their entry in any media for an unlimited period for any reason including but not limited to future promotional, marketing or publicity purposes. Each entrant warrants to the Promoter that each entry submitted is an original literary work of the entrant that does not infringe the rights of any third party.  Entrants agree to indemnify the Promoter against all costs and claims by third parties arising from a breach of this warranty.  Entrants consent to any use of their entry which may otherwise infringe their moral rights pursuant to the Copyright Act 1968(Cth)
16. Authors retain copyright of their work; however West Gippsland Libraries reserves the right to reproduce stories in full or in part in any format to promote the competition and the library.
17. This competition is not open to people employed by West Gippsland Library or their immediate family members.
18. The Promoter reserves the right, at any time, to verify the validity of entries and entrants (including an entrant’s identity, age and place of residence). The Promoter reserves the right to disqualify any entrant for tampering with the entry process or for submitting an entry which is not in accordance with these Terms and Conditions. Errors and omissions will be accepted at the Promoter’s discretion. Failure by the Promoter to enforce any of its rights at any stage does not constitute a waiver of those rights.
19. If there is a dispute as to the identity of an entrant, the Promoter reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to determine the identity of the entrant.
20. As a condition of entering this promotion, each entrant licenses the Promoter to use their entry in any media for an unlimited period for any reason including but not limited to future promotional, marketing or publicity purposes. Each entrant warrants to the Promoter that each entry submitted is an original literary work of the entrant that does not infringe the rights of any third party.  Entrants agree to indemnify the Promoter against all costs and claims by third parties arising from a breach of this warranty.  Entrants consent to any use of their entry which may otherwise infringe their moral rights pursuant to the Copyright Act 1968(Cth).
21. Entrants consent to the Promoter using their name, likeness, image and/or voice in the event they are a winner (including photograph, film and/or recording of the same) in any media for an unlimited period without remuneration for the purpose of promoting this promotion (including any outcome), and promoting any products manufactured, distributed and/or supplied by the Promoter.
22. Nothing in these Terms and Conditions limits, excludes or modifies or purports to limit, exclude or modify the statutory consumer guarantees as provided under the Competition and Consumer Act, as well as any other implied warranties under the ASIC Act or similar consumer protection laws in the State and Territories of Australia. Except for any liability that cannot by law be excluded, including the Non-Excludable Guarantees, the Promoter (including its respective officers, employees and agents) excludes all liability (including negligence), for any personal injury; or any loss or damage (including loss of opportunity); whether direct, indirect, special or consequential, arising in any way out of the promotion.
23. Except for any liability that cannot by law be excluded, including the Non-Excludable Guarantees, the Promoter (including its respective officers, employees and agents) is not responsible for and excludes all liability (including negligence), for any personal injury; or any loss or damage (including loss of opportunity); whether direct, indirect, special or consequential, arising in any way out of: (a) any technical difficulties or equipment malfunction (whether or not under the Promoter’s control); (b) any theft, unauthorised access or third party interference; (c) any entry or prize claim that is late, lost, altered, damaged or misdirected (whether or not after their receipt by the Promoter) due to any reason beyond the reasonable control of the Promoter; (d) any variation in prize value to that stated in these Terms and Conditions; (e) any tax liability incurred by a winner or entrant; or (f) use of the prize.
24. The Promoter is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer on-line systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software, technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to participants or any other person’s computer related to or resulting from participation in or downloading of any materials in this promotion.
25. If for any reason this promotion is not capable of running as planned including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorised intervention, fraud, technical failures or any other causes beyond the control of the Promoter which corrupt or affect the administration security, fairness integrity or proper conduct of this promotion, the Promoter reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process, and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the promotion.
26. Any cost associated with accessing the promotional website is the entrant’s responsibility and is dependent on the Internet service provider used.
27. The prize may be gifted to another person by the chosen winner.
28. All entries will be the property of the Promoter. Any personal information collected will be used by the Promoter for the purpose of conducting this promotion. Entry is conditional on providing this information.  Personal information may be disclosed to third parties including but not limited to contractors, agents, prize suppliers and service providers assisting with this promotion. The Promoter will also use and handle personal information as set out in its Privacy Policy, which can be viewed at https://www.wgrlc.vic.gov.au/about/library-policies/.
29. The Promoter may, for an indefinite period, unless otherwise advised, also use the information for promotional, marketing, publicity, research and profiling purposes, including sending electronic messages or telephoning the entrant. Entrants should direct any request to access, update or correct information to the Promoter. Any complaints regarding the treatment of personal information should also be directed to the Promoter and will be dealt with by the Promoter in accordance with its Privacy Policy.  Unless otherwise indicated by the Promoter, the Promoter may disclose personal information overseas. 
30. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by or associated with Facebook.