Entries are now open to students, professionals, artists, writers, developers, designers or enthusiasts to apply for the 2019 New Media Writing Prize (NMWP) that showcases exciting and inventive stories and poetry that integrate a variety of formats, platforms, and digital media.
Now in its 10th year, this international prize encourages and promotes the best in new media writing and is leading the way toward the future of the ‘written’ word and storytelling.
The NMWP which has attracted entries from the very best and most innovative writers in the field, from all around the world will award prizes for the 2019 competition in the following categories: The if:book UK New Media Writing Award, the Unicorn Student Award, the Dot Award, the Digital Journalism Award, and the Skylab innovation Award.
Interested entrants are encouraged to check the Competition Rules downloadable from http://newmediawritingprize.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Terms-And-Conditions-2019.pdf and also read the frequently asked questions about the award at http://newmediawritingprize.co.uk/faqs/.
The winning work, depending on which category, will receive one or more of the following prizes: the Unicorn Training Student Award of £750 donated by Unicorn Training; the if:book UK New Media Writing Prize of £1000 donated by if:book UK; the Journalism Award of £750 for the winner, where the winner may also be a student; the Dot Award of £500 and development support, offered by if:book UK; and the Skylab Innovation Award of £500, where the winner may also be a student.
The deadline for submission of entries for the Unicorn Training Student Award is December 13, 2019 at 12 midday GMT while for the rest, the deadline is November 22, 2019 at 12 midday GMT.
For the if:book UK Award and Unicorn Student Award, organisers are looking for good storytelling (fiction or non-fiction) written specifically for delivery and reading/viewing on a PC or Mac, the web, or a hand-held device such as an iPad or mobile phone. It could be a short story, novel, poem, documentary or transmedia work using words, images, film or animation with audience interaction. Interactivity is a key element of new-media storytelling. Entrants should be creative, imaginative to create an engaging story that combines any number of media elements, such as words on a screen combined with images and video clips. New media writing can be created using a variety of tools i.e. a word processor, DV camera, social networking tools (i.e. Twitter), mobile phone/s, a scanner, Augmented Reality software etc.
The Dot Award prize will be awarded for a project idea which, in the judges’ opinion, shows promise and practicability. This includes projects which aren’t necessarily technically complex but do create original and exciting literary work inspired by the affordances of the web, blogs, apps, social media etc. Chris Meade and if:book UK will liaise with the winner to support the project, which will be showcased at the 2017 New Media Writing Prize award ceremony coming up on January 15, 2020.
The Future Journalism Award honours innovative stories based on factual material and featuring digital media. Interactive documentaries, multimedia features and gamified journalism are all considered. Entries must incorporate new media technologies and platforms. Entry for this category must make innovative use of new media to create an engaging, satisfying fact-based narrative; adhere to journalistic standards of accuracy and fairness; effectively use interactive elements; and have the potential to reach out to a wide audience, i.e. not just specialist interest groups, among others.
The Skylab Innovation Award is a special award to celebrate 10 years of collaboration between Bournemouth University and Skylab. Entries to this category must be built and published in Genarrator: http://genarrator.org/. It is free to create an account and all design, editing and publishing are done online using Genarrator’s unique and very easy-to-use interface. For this category, entries must make innovative use of the Genarrator platform to create an engaging, satisfying fiction or non-narrative; make effective use of interactive elements; and show the potential to reach out to a wide audience, i.e. not just specialist interest groups.
Entries for any of the Prizes should be submitted online through the competition online form at http://newmediawritingprize.co.uk/enter/ or by email to entries2019@newmediawritingprize.co.uk.
Each entry should contain the following information within the text of the entry email:
title of the work;
- entrant’s contact details: name, email address, telephone number and postal address. For joint entries, all entrants’ contact details must be provided with identification of the main entrant for contact purposes;
- entrant’s short autobiography (50-100 words). For joint entries, all entrants must provide their autobiographies.
- entrants who wish to submit a work for the Student Prize must provide a proof of identity which should be displayed in the body of the entry email, e.g. a scan copy of entrant’s Student Union ID card or university enrolment number, which will be authenticated at the organiser’s discretion.
An applicant can submit more than one entry provided each entry is submitted separately. It is also possible for several persons to submit a joint entry provided one entrant is identified as the main contact. All entries must be in English language.
Entrants are advised to include active URL for the judges to access their works unless the entry is for viewing on a mobile phone, wearable, or other electronic device; for such applicants are to provide clear instructions on how to view the piece. Entries should include the word MAIN, STUDENT, DOT, or JOURNALISM in the subject line if entering by email, so the organisers know which award/s an applicant wishes to be considered for.
