£1k literature prize for unpublished female authors

[ScarlettOhHara]

This prize just popped up in my Facebook newsfeed but as an alumna of the College, I can't enter it

So my writing will continue to just be enjoyed by DH and my friends!

I thought some of you creative vipers might like to give it a go.

www.lucy-cav.cam.ac.uk/news-blog/latest-news/unpublished-female-writers-invited-to-enter-prestigious-literature-prize

Looks like they are mostly established writers; obviously had more practice than me. Their synopses make my story look very pedestrian and rather rubbish never mind. I didn't get an email either.

Isn't that odd, Sherlock? To have gone to the trouble to email some non-shortlisted people individually before the shortlist was announced, but not all? I wouldn't have expected an email, but knowing that some people got them has made me start wondering whether I was in a special category of discard!

Just got mine now- at least I know they received the entry. Perhaps the emails were sent out in chronological order? I entered at the very last minute so was probably way down the list.

or maybe they were SO keen to block the crap ones I got mine extra early?

Maybe they had IT problems? The shortlist itself went up in a very piecemeal way over the best part of three hours. I got my email five hours or so after that! Oh well. Judging by the extracts, the judges were looking for something very different to what I do, anyway.

Anyone putting anything in for the Bridport?

At the risk of sounding like major sour grapes - and trying to be fair! - I don't think much of a couple of the extracts. One has a good 'concept', but the writing is pretty pedestrian, and one I just don't think is good as either a synopsis or extract, and I think the prose and pacing are problems.

Trying to see what the judges were going for - one YA, one historical, one (sort of?) psychological thriller, one period literary-biographical, one contemporary/historical split time scheme (not entirely sure how you would categorise it)? Do judges of this kind of comp generally look for a 'spread' of genres? So, for instance, if they got a big intake of really good YA, say, they could still only shortlist one?

If anyone's interested, you can read the extracts and synopses of the shortlist here:

www.lucy-cav.cam.ac.uk/fictionprize/previous-shortlists/2015-shortlist/

Would be interested in whether people see qualities that I'm not seeing!