DO you have a great imagination? Fancy seeing your short story in print? Submit a story to the first Farnham Short Story Competition.

The Fellowship of the Pen, a Farnham-based writers’ group, is running the competition together with the Farnham Herald.

The competition will be judged by Claire Fuller, author of Our Endless Summer Days and Swimming Lessons, and the winner will receive an engraved trophy and the Herald will print the story.

Derek Keen, chair of the Fellowship of the Pen said: “Farnham is a talented town and supports several thriving writers’ groups. We just know there are other gifted writers out there. We’re really excited to see what you produce.”

The contest is open to anyone in the UK, 16 years or older. Entry is free, and there are no restrictions on theme. Let your imagination soar. Stories should be 1,000 words or less.

Entries are now open and close on November 2. The shortlist will be published on the Farnham Herald website on December 7.

The winner will be announced at a presentation ceremony in Waterstones bookshop in Lion and Lamb Yard, in mid-December.

Email your entry to [email protected]. The full rules are as follows:

1) The Farnham Short Story Competition is open to anyone in the UK, age 16 or over. Members and families of the sponsoring organisations (the Fellowship of the Pen and the Farnham Herald), may not enter.

2) Stories should be no longer than 1,000 words, excluding the title. Any story longer that this will be automatically rejected. Stories should be original, not have won a prize in another competition, and not have appeared in print or online (excluding your own blog).

3) There is no required theme or genre. Let your imagination soar.

4) All entries should be sent by e-mail to [email protected] as an attachment in Word or PDF format. Your e-mail should include the title of your story, your name and contact details. Please also confirm in the e-mail that you are over 16. Your name and any other identifying details must not be included in the story so that all entries can be judged anonymously.

5) There is no fee for entry. The winning story will receive a prize of an engraved trophy and publication in the Farnham Herald.

6) The contest opens on September 7 and closes on November 2. A shortlist will be published on the Farnham Herald website on December 7.

7) The contest will be judged by the novelist Claire Fuller and writers from the Fellowship of the Pen. The judges’ decision is final. You can get hints of what works and what does not work from this article by Claire Fuller https://clairefuller.co.uk/2017/05/22/what-a-judge-looks-for-in-a-short-story. The winner will be announced at a presentation in Waterstones, Farnham.

8) The Farnham Herald and Fellowship of the Pen will have the right to print the shortlisted stories. All other copyright is retained by the entrant.