Please read our competition terms & conditions carefully before submitting your entries to the Brit Writers' Awards 2010...

Not sure what format your story, poem or song should be in, or whether you will retain copyright over your work? Need to know the BWA's definition of 'unpublished' to check that you're eligible? Worry no more! Everything you need to know about entry rules for the Brit Writers' Awards and our competition terms & conditions is detailed below.

You can also find out more by reading the judging criteria and our FAQs.

Competition terms & conditions

• The competition is open to all British citizens worldwide and people resident in the UK who are aged five years and over (see Awards categories) on the closing date of the competition (Friday 26 February 2010).
• Children or employees of Brit Writers Ltd or anyone professionally associated with the Brit Writers' Awards may not enter the competition.
• Entrants may submit as many pieces of work as they like to the Brit Writers' Awards 2010 for a one-off admin fee of £10.95 (including VAT). However, entry is completely free of charge for entrants who have declared their association to a BWA member school, business or community organisation by using that organisation's unique BWA membership number – please read our FAQs for more information about this.
• The definition of 'unpublished' for the Brit Writers' Awards means that you do not have, and have never had, an ISBN (International Standard Book Number) for a publication solely in your name – unless the work was self-published and you are currently not in an agreement with a publisher or an agent.
• Writers without an ISBN in their name who have had their work published in a magazine, online or in an anthology are still free to enter the competition.
• In the songwriting category, 'unpublished' equates to 'unsigned' (meaning you are not, and have never been, signed to a record label either as an individual or as part of a group), or that a song that you have written has never been published by any signed artist or record label.
• 'Unpublished' spans every category – so a published novelist may not enter the songwriting category, for example, and a 'signed' songwriter may not enter the story categories.
• The only exception to the 'unpublished' rule is the Published Writer of the Year category. Entries for this category can only be submitted by an author's publisher. This category only applies to published novels. Entrants in this category are not eligible to win the overall £10,000 prize. To nominate in this category, publishers must submit work from three different authors and supply additional information and five hard copies of each nominated book to us (see Judging criteria for further information). 
• All entries must be submitted online before the entry deadline: 5pm UK time on Friday 26 February 2010.
• All entries must be formatted correctly (see Judging criteria for details).
• Entries that are incomplete, illegible or corrupted, or that are submitted after the deadline will not be entered into the competition. Proof of submission is not proof of receipt.
• In order to meet the national entry deadline of Friday 26 February 2010.
• Please keep a copy of your work, as it will not be returned.
• You retain copyright of your work but, in submitting your entry, you give permission for the BWA to publicise and promote your work if appropriate.
• Winners of the Brit Writers' Awards 2010 will be announced at a gala ceremony on Saturday 26 June 2010.
• The judges will choose a winner from each category and each winner will receive a prize. The overall winner will receive £10,000.  
• As a condition of entry, shortlisted finalists agree to take part in reasonable post-event publicity and to the use of their names, photographs and entries in such publicity.
• Winners' names and entries will be displayed on the BWA website.
• No correspondence will be entered into. The judges' decision is final.
• By entering the competition, each entrant agrees to be bound by these terms & conditions.
• The Brit Writers' Awards competition is organised by Brit Writers Ltd of 67 Lombard Street, Birmingham B12 0QU.

If you are considering entering your work but still have a few questions, you will probably find the answers on FAQs: Entries - click here to view.

For further information, please email enquiries@britwriters.co.uk or call 0871 237 4442 to speak to a member of the BWA team.

Find out how to submit your entry