Burnt Roti short fiction story competition

***COMPETITION CLOSED***

WINNERS

1st place.
Shiuli Bhattacharyya - Ijaaz

2nd place.
Nadya Agrawal - Three Citrons

3rd place.
Prithu Banerjee - A Ballad of Ragnarok

SHORTLIST

Shiuli Bhattacharyya, Sonia Giga, Gitanjali Joshua, Prithu Banerjee, Maariyah Qureshi, Tara Joshi, Nadya Agrawal, Qaisar Siddiqui, Varinder Singh, Sumil Thakrar

Always wanted to write a fictional short story? Give it a go and send us your story!

Burnt Roti is a South Asian opinion and lifestyle magazine that concentrates on identity, sexuality, mental health and womxn’s rights. We publish an annual print issue and curate events all year round, to give a platform to creative South Asians as well as highlight topics of discussion.

What is fiction?
Fiction is defined as something that is not true. An example of fiction is a story that is not based on a true story, such as A Handmaid’s Tale. And like Atwood’s classic, it can be based on social and political structures that create a dystopian world. That won’t make it less of a fiction.

PRIZES:

First prize - £500 and face time with the editorial staff at #Merky Books
Second prize - £300 and face time with the editorial staff at #Merky Books
Third prize - £200 and face time with the editorial staff at #Merky Books

#Merky Books is an imprint within William Heinemann, a part of Penguin Random House UK, dedicated to publishing the best new fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Curated by Stormzy, #Merky forms a home for a new generation of voices. The programme includes the #Merky Books New Writers’ Prize, an open submission competition to find new works of fiction, non-fiction or poetry, workshops and events, and a paid traineeship.
#Merky Books has published three titles to date, each critically acclaimed: Rise Up: The #Merky Story So Far by Stormzy and Jude Yawson, Taking Up Space: The Black Girl’s Manifesto for Change by Chelsea Kwakye and Ore Ogunbiyi, and That Reminds Me by Derek Owusu. Two titles are forthcoming in 2020: We Are All Birds of Uganda by Hafsa Zayyan and Dreaming in a Nightmare: Finding a way forward in a world that’s holding you back by Jeremiah Emmanuel, with others yet to be announced.

Face time with the editorial staff includes 1 hour with the #Merky Books team, to get advice on writing and to better understand the publishing process.

RULES:

• All work must be submitted by people of South Asian heritage.

• 1,500 - 2,000 words.

• International applicants welcomed.

• You can only submit one story. If you submit more than one, all your submissions will be disqualified.

• You can only submit a story if you have not been published as an author. This means you are not eligible if you are an author of your own book or someone who has an agent. If you have been published in an anthology, online or print publication, then you can still submit a story. We want to give a chance to new writers who may otherwise not have a platform/agent/opportunities.

• All entries to be written in the English language, with South Asian languages and phrases in the context of the piece.

• All entries must be original, previously unpublished (print or online).

• Poetry will not be accepted.

• Open to all ages.

• Entrants must submit under their real name or a pseudonym, but will be disqualified for using a celebrity/known name. Names won’t be changed on any of our content if a pseudonym changes in later years.

• Do not include photos or images with your submission.

• Once an entry is received, no revisions are allowed.

• Winning entries will be published online at Burnt Roti at the discretion of the editor in chief.

• All decisions made by the judges regarding the winners are final.

SUBMISSIONS:

• Submission deadline: 26 May 2020 midnight (UK GMT).

• Email info@burntroti.com with your submission.

• In the subject matter enter: SUBMISSION - BURNT ROTI SHORT STORY COMP 2020

• Format to size 12pt font in Arial or Calibri, double spaced, with regular margins in a Word document.

• Name your word document with: BURNT ROTI COMP 2020-(YOURNAME).

• At the beginning of your document, tell us your: FULL NAME, AGE, COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE and any other details you think may seem important to understanding your piece (gender/sexual orientation/disability/etc).

• Please do not send any pdfs.

JUDGES: