The city of Oxford has been an historical centre for literary excellence, so it seemed the perfect idea to create and sponsor an annual short story prize which specifically included the subjects of food and/or drink within the plot. The first prize of £7,500 was awarded in 2013 and the prize has steadily grown in popularity, attracting over 450 entries in 2015.
We are now inviting entries for the fourth annual prize of £7,500 to be awarded during the FT Weekend Oxford Literary Festival in April 2016.
Food and Drink has to be at the heart of the tale. The story could, for instance, be fiction or fact about a chance meeting over a drink, a life-changing conversation over dinner, or a relationship explored through food and drink. It could be crime or intrigue; in fact any subject as long as it involves food and/or drink in some way.
Applicants are invited from anywhere in the world. They can be published or unpublished authors, but the entry itself must be previously unpublished. The story should be up to 2,500 words and must be written in English.
Entries should be submitted by email as a Word document to shortstoryprize@mogford.co.uk by March 6th 2016, midnight GMT (one submission per person). Entrants should also supply their home address, email and telephone number.
The shortlist of four will be selected by March 17th with the winner decided on by March 29th 2016. Judges this year include celebrity chef Rick Stein and novelist Lawrence Norfolk, author of John Saturnall’s Feast (2012).
The prize of £7,500 will be presented at the annual Quod Party held during the FT Weekend Oxford Literary Festival at the Old Bank Hotel on Thursday 7th April 2016.
The winning story will be available at the end of April 2016 in an audio format produced by The Story Player. It will be read by an actor and is to be linked into National Short Story Week scheduled for November.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
http://www.oxford-hotels-restaurants.co.uk/the-mogford-literary-prize/