BSME & Caitlin Moran Young Writers' Prize
Terms & Conditions
1. ELIGIBILITY
1.1 The Prize is open to individuals who:
Are aged between 18 and 25 years old (inclusive) on the closing date (8 May 2026)
Are residents of the United Kingdom
Can provide proof of age and residency upon request
1.2 The following are NOT eligible to enter:
Employees of BSME or their immediate family members
Employees of Mantis/Reach plc or their immediate family members
1.3 Entries submitted on behalf of another person will be disqualified.
2. HOW TO ENTER
Entry period: From 23 February 2026 until 23:59 GMT on 8 May 2026.
Method: Submission via the official online entry form at www.bsme.com/ywp
Limit: One (1) entry per person.
Entry Requirements:
Each valid entry must include:
A fully completed entry form with accurate and current contact details
An original writing sample of 800-1,000 words on the theme "Tell us about something you love"
A personal statement of 350 words answering: "Why do you want to be a writer, and what barriers have you faced?"
Acceptable proof of age (e.g. birth certificate, passport with photograph redacted, driving licence with photograph redacted, or an official letter showing date of birth)
Writing Sample Requirements:
The writing sample must:
Be your own original work, created solely by you
Not have been previously published in any form, including online (except social media posts under 280 characters)
Be written in English
Be submitted in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format
Entry Standards:
BSME reserves the right to reject any entry that is:
Incomplete, inaccurate or illegible
Offensive, defamatory, unlawful or otherwise inappropriate
Submitted after the closing date and time
In breach of these terms or applicable law
BSME accepts no responsibility for late, lost, corrupted, misdirected or unsuccessful entries, including due to technical failures.
Use of AI
By entering, you confirm that your submission is entirely your own work and has not been generated, in whole or in part, using AI text-generation tools.
The organisers reserve the right to request confirmation that the work is the entrant’s own and to disqualify any entry reasonably suspected of AI generation.
3. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
3.1 You retain full copyright to your submitted work.
3.2 By entering, you grant BSME permission to:
Read and share your work with the judging panel
Use excerpts (up to 200 words) from your entry for promotional purposes with attribution
Feature your first name in communications related to the Prize
3.3 You confirm that:
Your entry does not breach any third-party intellectual property rights
Your entry does not contain anything defamatory, indecent, harassing or threatening
You have the right and authority to submit this work and grant the permissions above
3.4 BSME will not share, publish, or use your work beyond the purposes stated without your explicit permission.
3.5 For clarity, all rights in the name, title and format of this competition remain the property of BSME.
4. JUDGING & SELECTION
4.1 All eligible entries will be reviewed through a three-stage judging process administered by BSME and Caitlin Moran:
Stage 1: A panel selected from BSME committee members will score entries based on Voice, Craft, and Spark
Stage 2: Caitlin Moran receives longlisted entries and selects her favourites
Stage 3: Caitlin reviews personal statements and context, then selects the winner
4.2 Entries will be assessed by reference to the following criteria:
Voice: Originality, distinctiveness, authenticity
Craft: Command of language, clarity, engagement
Spark: Raw talent that can be developed, curiosity/insight
4.3 All decisions of BSME and the judging panel regarding eligibility, shortlisting and the final winner are made in their sole discretion and are final. No correspondence will be entered into concerning the judging process or its outcome.
4.4 Shortlisted entrants may be contacted for additional information.
4.5 The top 10-15 finalists will be invited to have their work (200-300 word extracts) published in a printed zine designed by Ralph Magazine, for which they will receive industry-standard payment (currently at least £100). Publication will only proceed once you have provided separate written consent specifically for this purpose.
5. THE PRIZE
5.1 Subject to compliance with these Terms and Conditions, the winner will be entitled to:
A cash bursary of £12,000
One year of personal mentorship from Caitlin Moran
Work experience with a leading UK magazine editor
Publication in printed zine with industry-standard payment (currently at least £100, subject to change)
Professional byline and publication credit
Zine distributed to 200+ UK magazine editors
Exclusive online seminar with Caitlin Moran (alongside other finalists)
Recognition and promotion via BSME channels
5.2 Runners-up (top 10-20 writers) will receive:
Publication in printed zine with industry-standard payment (currently at least £100, subject to change)
Professional byline and publication credit
Zine distributed to 200+ UK magazine editors
Offer of work experience or 1-to-1 mentoring from a BSME committee member (Top 10)
Exclusive online seminar with Caitlin Moran (Top 20)
5.3 All entrants will receive:
Email from Caitlin Moran containing general writing advice and encouragement to enter in future years
5.4 The Prize is non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash or any other alternative.
5.5 BSME reserves the right to substitute Prize elements with alternatives of equal or greater value if necessary.
5.6 Any work experience placements will be facilitated through an introduction by BSME. All arrangements regarding timing, duration, payment, expenses and activities must be agreed directly between the winner and the placement provider, and are subject to the placement provider's availability and requirements.
6. WINNER OBLIGATIONS
6.1 The winner will be announced publicly at the BSME Awards in November 2026.
6.2 The winner agrees to:
Attend the BSME Awards ceremony (reasonable travel and accommodation expenses will be covered, provided these are pre-agreed in writing prior to travel)
Participate in reasonable publicity and promotional activities including photos, interviews, and social media content
Engage in good faith with the mentorship and placement opportunities
Complete any reasonable background, safeguarding or right-to-work checks required by BSME, sponsors or placement providers
Refrain from conduct that might bring BSME, the Prize, its sponsors or Caitlin Moran into disrepute
6.3 If the winner is unable or unwilling to accept the Prize or fulfil these obligations, BSME reserves the right to select an alternative winner.
7. SUSPENSION OR WITHDRAWAL OF PRIZE
7.1 BSME reserves the right, in its sole discretion and following appropriate consideration of the circumstances, to suspend, withhold or withdraw all or part of the Prize if:
The winner is found to be in breach of these Terms & Conditions
The winner engages in serious misconduct (including discriminatory, harassing or unlawful behaviour)
The winner provides false or misleading information
It otherwise becomes inappropriate or impractical to continue the Prize relationship
Consequences may include cessation of mentorship or placements, withdrawal of public recognition, and, in serious cases, a requirement to repay Prize monies.
7.2 The decision to suspend or withdraw the Prize will be made at BSME's sole discretion following investigation of the relevant circumstances.
7.3 Where appropriate, BSME will provide the winner with an opportunity to respond to concerns before making a final decision.
7.4 BSME may select an alternative winner from the shortlist.
7.5 This clause does not affect the winner's copyright in their submitted work.
7.6 BSME will handle any Prize suspension or withdrawal process confidentially and proportionately, considering all relevant circumstances.
7.7 If for any reason the competition is not capable of running as planned as a result of technical failures, unauthorised intervention, computer virus, mobile network failure, tampering, fraud or any other causes beyond BSME's control which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the competition, BSME reserves the right to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the competition.
8. KEY DATES AND NOTIFICATIONS
8.1 Top 20 finalists and winner will be contacted in July 2026.
8.2 Public announcement in November 2026.
8.3 If a winner or finalist cannot be contacted within 14 days of initial notification, BSME reserves the right to select an alternative.
8.4 It is your responsibility to provide accurate and up-to-date contact details.
9. DATA PROTECTION & PRIVACY
9.1 Personal data will be processed by BSME in accordance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
9.2 Data will be used for the administration and judging of the Prize, communication with entrants, publicity (where consent is given) and coordination of placements/mentoring for winners.
9.3 Age-verification documents and most personal data will be retained for no longer than 12 months after the Prize announcement. Data relating to winners will be kept for up to 2 years to facilitate ongoing mentorship and placement activities.
9.4 You have the rights of access, rectification and erasure as set out in applicable data protection law and may contact admin@bsme.com in relation to these rights.
9.5 Further details are set out in BSME's Privacy Policy.
10. SAFEGUARDING
10.1 BSME is committed to safeguarding all entrants.
10.2 Winners and finalists participating in placements or mentorship may be required to undergo background checks or provide references as required by placement providers.
10.3 All mentorship and placement activities will be conducted in accordance with professional safeguarding standards.
10.4 If the winner is under 21 years of age, BSME reserves the right to structure payment of the cash prize in instalments over the mentorship year, or to arrange payment to a parent or legal guardian, to ensure appropriate financial safeguarding.
10.5 Any concerns should be reported to admin@bsme.com.
11. GENERAL CONDITIONS
11.1 BSME reserves the right to:
Verify eligibility and disqualify any entry that does not comply with these terms
Modify or cancel the Prize if circumstances beyond reasonable control make it necessary
Use entrants' names and submitted information for publicity purposes in relation to the Prize
Entrants must be resident in the UK with valid permission to remain until at least 31 December 2026. By entering, you confirm this is the case. If a winner is unable to participate in prize activities due to a change in their immigration status, BSME reserves the right to withdraw the prize and offer it to a runner-up.
11.2 Exclusion of Liability
Nothing in these terms shall exclude or limit BSME's liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or for any other liability which cannot be excluded by law.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, BSME excludes all liability for any loss, damage, costs or disappointment suffered by entrants in connection with the competition, including but not limited to:
Technical failures, lost or delayed entries, or system errors
Any injury, loss or damage arising from participation in the Prize or acceptance of any prize
Unavailability of prize elements due to circumstances beyond BSME's reasonable control
Any third-party prize provider services
BSME cannot guarantee that entry systems will be uninterrupted or error-free, and services may be temporarily suspended for maintenance or technical reasons.
Nothing in these terms restricts your statutory rights as a consumer.
11.3 By entering, you agree to be bound by these Terms & Conditions.
11.4 These Terms & Conditions shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of England and Wales.
11.5 If any provision is found to be invalid, the remaining provisions shall remain in full effect.
11.6 BSME's decisions on all matters relating to the Prize are final.
11.7 A failure by BSME to enforce any term in any instance will not be deemed a waiver of BSME's rights.
12. CONTACT
For questions about the Prize or these Terms & Conditions, please contact:
admin@bsme.com
www.bsme.com/ywp
Prize Organizer: The British Society of Magazine Editors
Last updated: February 2026
END OF TERMS & CONDITIONS