Sherborne Shorts: a new short story and poetry competition launched by this year's Sherborne Literary Festival

The Sherborne Literary Festival, which is held in the picturesque Dorset town of Sherborne from 14 - 18 October, is looking for budding writers and poets to enter its short story and poetry competition called "Sherborne Shorts".

With a top prize of £500 as well as £200 and £100 for runners up, there is plenty of financial incentive to get the creative juices flowing. The competition will be judged by hugely successful romantic comedy novelist Carole Matthews, who has sold over four million books and saw her own career take off 19 years ago when she won a short story competition inWriting Magazine.

Shortlisted for Romantic Novel of the Year Carole has written 26 books, with the most recent being "The Cake Shop in the Garden" and the soon to be published "The Chocolate Lovers' Christmas".

Carole describes what she is looking for in a short story: "A short story should be a snapshot of a moment. Like a novel, it needs a beginning, a middle and an end. If there's an unexpected little twist that's even better. The story should make me utterly believe in that character. I read a great story recently about an elderly man living alone and was so surprised when the author turned out to be a very smart lady in her forties. I was utterly convinced I was reading about a real person. That's what I like."

There are also opportunities for promising poets to try their hand at the poetry competition and again there is some financial incentive with prizes ranging from £100 to £25. West Country poet James Crowden will be judging the poetry competition. Born in Devon, James has written at least 12 books about West Country subjects. In 1999, he was made Common Ground's Apple Day Poet Laureate. He has also researched, written and produced a number of features for the BBC. In the 1970s, James served in the army and he has travelled extensively, in Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan, spending a year in the Zangskar Valley, Ladakh.

There is a small entry fee required to submit a story or poem and further details together with the rules of entry and a submission form can be found atwww.sherborneliterarysociety.com. The deadline for entry is 31 July 2015 and writers will need to send their completed works to: Literary Festival Competitions, Sherborne Tourist Information Centre, Digby Road, Sherborne, DT9 3NL.

Winners will be notified in early October and invited to a very special tea party at Sherborne's award winning Eastbury Hotel where they will have the opportunity to meet the judges and receive their prizes.

For further details please email Lucy Beney :lucybeney@yahoo.co.uk

Further press information and high res images from Jane Adkins, A Head for PR Ltd, T/: 01935 813114; M/: 07960698089 or E/:jane@aheadforpr.co.uk

May 2015 (SLF 01)