Luke Bitmead Bursary • Legend Press • Legend Times Group

Luke Bitmead Bursary 2015 – open for entries on 1st May 2015

The bursary was set up by Luke’s family shortly after Luke’s sudden and tragic death in 2006, aged just 34. Luke was the first novelist to be published by Legend Press, and we are delighted to work with Luke's family each year on the award to honour his memory and help reduce the stigma attached to mental health issues. The top prize is a publishing contract with Legend Press, as well as a £2,500 cash prize. As the Luke Bitmead Memorial Fund and ourselves are keen to ensure this important prize continues for many years to come, from this year there will be a £10 entry fee per submission, which will be paid directly to the Luke Bitmead Memorial Fund.

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Endorsements from previous winners:

Andrew Blackman, our 2008 winner: 'Without Luke my book would not have existed. Everything I’ve enjoyed over the last couple of years – all the sales, all the readings, the signings, the radio interviews, the film rights – all of it has come about because of Luke and the efforts of his family to create something positive out of the tragedy of his death.' Ruth Dugdall, our 2009 winner: ‘Winning the bursary was my absolute breakthrough moment, but even knowing that my novel would be published I could never have been prepared for what happened next. Readers told me how moved they were, how the story lingered long after they closed the cover; such feedback is a gift for any writer. And other gifts followed with foreign rights being sold, and the championing of the novel by Amazon. I have also had two other books, The James Version & The Sacrificial Man, published by Legend Press.’ Sophie Duffy, our 2010 winner: 'I'll always be grateful to Luke and his amazing warrior mother, Elaine. Winning the bursary and having The Generation Game published gave me validation as a writer. But, more importantly, Luke's story has helped me speak out about my own battle with depression and given me the confidence to challenge the stigma of mental health issues whenever I can. You need guts to be a writer, tenacity if you want to be published. Entering the bursary just might give you the chance to have your turn in the sun.'

How to Submit:

Your entry should be sent using the form below. If you have any problems, or general queries about the Bursary please email: [email protected] To pay the £10 entry fee, please click here. (Note: please retain a copy of your receipt should you be requested for it as proof of entry.) Guidelines:

• Novels must be already completed before entry. Unfinished manuscripts will not be accepted.
• Novels must be 50k words or over to be considered.
• Entrants must be aged 16 or over.
• Submissions must be from authors who have not been traditionally published – particularly those who are talented but whose personal or financial circumstances are making it especially hard for them to focus on writing as a career.
• We are happy to accept submissions from self-published authors and authors who have traditionally published any other form of writing except a novel in the past (eg short stories, poems etc),
• We only accept submissions of adult fiction, so unfortunately will not consider Children's or YA fiction,
• Payment of the entry fee must be completed for your entry to be eligible for consideration,

Submissions are open from 1st May 2015 to 1st August 2015

Your submission should include the following (as indicated in the form below):

1. Synopsis of your work (no more than 1 page)
2. Personal Statement (This should be approximately 1 to 2 pages long and should be uploaded as a Word or PDF document). The statement is an important part of the application process and we invite you to introduce yourself to the judges and tell us why you feel you would particularly benefit from the bursary.
3. The first 3 to 4 chapters of your novel (uploaded as a Word or PDF document). If your novel does not follow a conventional format we would suggest you submit the first 50 pages of your novel.

Name
Place of residence
Date of Birth
Email
Title of Novel
Novel Word Count
Synopsis
Personal Statement
Click here to attach your personal statement... First 3-4 chapters
Click here to attach the first 3-4 chapters (single Microsoft Word file)...
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