Click here to view this call in Welsh.

Deadline for submissions: 15 Dec 2016

Announcement of winners: May 2017

Entries accepted in English and Welsh.

Submit your entry here.

The AHRC-funded Reading Digital Fiction project, in conjunction with Bangor University (Wales) and Sheffield Hallam University (England), is launching a new competition to discover the best “popular” digital fiction: digital fiction that appeals to mainstream audiences.

Digital fiction is fiction that is written to be read/played on digital devices. Importantly, digital fictions are different to e-books. Rather than existing as a digital version of a print novel, digital fictions are what are known as “born digital” – that is, they would lose something of their form and/or meaning if they were removed from the digital medium. For example, they may contain hyperlinks, moving images, mini-games or sound effects. In many digital fictions, the reader has a role in constructing the narrative, either by selecting hyperlinks or by controlling a character’s journey through the storyworld. Digital fictions therefore require that the reader interacts with the narrative throughout the reading experience. Hypertexts, text-adventure games, multimedia stories, interactive video, literary games, and some mobile apps are all examples of types of digital fiction.

There are no restrictions as to types of software you can use to produce digital fiction; everything from HTML, Adobe Flash, Inform7, Twine, YouTube, Twitter, and more have been used to make digital fictions. For the competition, please submit links or files that are openly accessible on any computer (Mac or PC), and that will run in a web browser. Alternatively, mobile/tablet apps may be submitted, as long as they are available on both iOS and Android systems.

The Reading Digital Fiction project aims to introduce more readers to digital fiction and the Opening Up Digital Fiction Writing Competition is therefore designed to expand digital fiction readership to include a broader segment of the public. Therefore while the competition is open to all writers (rookies and veterans) and all types of digital fiction, we seeking entries of works that are broadly accessible, both in terms of intended audience and device compatibility.

The prize categories are:

Judges’ Prize

People’s Choice

Welsh Language Prize*

Student Prize

Children’s Story Prize

*Welsh language entries are eligible for all prize categories.

Winners will receive a cash prize (£300 to the winner of each category), publication on the Reading Digital Fiction website, and a series of mentoring meetings with select judges on a future digital fiction project. For ongoing details of the competition, please watch this space!

Submit your entry here.