Raising Spirits under the Setting Sun
A Halloween Literary Walk
Submissions: Terms and Conditions
What you need to know
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Submission is open to writers aged 14+ who live, work or study in Buckinghamshire (including Milton Keynes), Bedfordshire or Northamptonshire
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All entries must be written in English. Work should be original and not previously published in any form. AI tools may be used only to identify spelling and grammar issues.
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Entries must connect in some way to the theme, which you are free to interpret as creatively as you wish, and must be inspired in some way by one of the specified artworks or their titles
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Flash fiction must be no more than 500 words. There is no minimum word limit. Any genre is acceptable, e.g. mystery, romance, science fiction, history. Each author can submit two entries.
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Poems must be no more than 40 lines (blank lines between stanzas do not count.) Each author can submit up to three entries.
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Entries should be submitted in Microsoft Word, or as RTF or Plain Text files
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All work should be typed in Arial size 12 font and fiction should include a word count
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Writers should not include their name on any part of the file (including the title) as entries will be judged anonymously
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We aim to select the best submissions for their writers to read in person on 1 November, and to publish in a downloadable ebook (PDF format). Writers may be invited to participate in other MK Lit Fest events. Please be prepared to perform - or for your work to be read on your behalf if necessary.
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Please do not submit material that would not receive a cinematic rating of 15 or less (i.e. no 18 / R-rated submissions)
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Judges cannot correspond with entrants or give feedback on submissions
What you need to do
All entries should be submitted via the submissions form with pieces uploaded as Word or PDF documents.
* If you are unable to use Googleforms, please contact us for assistance with your submission.
Deadline for submissions: 16 October 2026
Selected readers will be notified by: 23 October 2026
