With Starcroft Farm Cabins we're delighted to launch our first Motherhood Writing Competition on the theme of 'things left unsaid'.
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You could win a writing retreat at one of Starcroft Farm's beautiful cabins, as well as publication and expert writing feedback!
Interested?
Here's what you need to know
Why are we running this competition?
We’ve got a shared interest in providing spaces for people to reflect and share their thoughts about motherhood. We think that writing can be a powerful tool. It helps clarify what we think, what is true and who we are.
Reading other people’s stories and reflections helps us see that we’re not as isolated as we thought. We’re focusing on ‘things left unsaid’ because there is so much left unsaid about motherhood. Whether or not you are a mother, you have probably felt like you can’t be fully honest about how you feel about motherhood. We think that should change.
Entry
It's open to everyone, because we think the censorship on real reflections on motherhood affects everyone: not just women, not just mothers.
Entry, like all the best things in life, is free.
Criteria
Submissions should be:
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No longer than 1,000 words
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Original (not published elsewhere)
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Can be any format but we think letters will work really well with the theme
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Sent in a word doc with your name in the title to hello@motherhood-uncensored.org by the 14th July
Note:
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We won’t accept naming and shaming, anonymous posts, ‘how to’ guides for dangerous behaviour, ‘infomercials’ or pieces aiming to endorse your business.
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Please use appropriate content warnings and direct to relevant support networks where relevant- bearing in mind that if longlisted your piece will be publicly available.
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You may submit up to three entries.
What happens after submission?
First we’ll longlist entries and then publish all longlisted submissions on Motherhood Uncensored, here. Each week throughout August 2024 a new set of entries will be published for voting and the previous set taken down.
People will be able to vote for their favourites and the most popular will be published in a ‘zine we are preparing for winter 2024. Anyone is welcome to vote, and people can vote on as many posts as they wish.
Longlisted entries will be posted anonymously. Authors are welcome to share their own story during their voting week, and say publicly which one is theirs. We are keeping posts anonymous so that when people unconnected to a writer do their voting they aren't swayed by name recognition.
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Judging
The winner will be chosen by Lucy Jones, author of Matrescence: On the Metamorphosis of Pregnancy, Childbirth and Motherhood. The team at Motherhood Uncensored and Starcroft Farm Cabins will support with shortlisting.
Judges will consider: each submission’s relevance to the theme of ‘things left unsaid’, creativity, clarity, style and emotional impact.
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Winners and publication
We plan to announce the winner in September. In September we also plan to announce the entries that have been chosen for our upcoming ‘zine, based on the voting over the summer. Short-listed submissions will receive feedback but unfortunately we can’t provide feedback to all submissions.
Our winner will receive feedback from literary agent Hannah Sheppard and founder of and a 2-night self-led writing break at Starcroft Farm Cabins. These stargazing cabins in the beautiful Sussex countryside have been built for writers. Inspired by lost voices in women’s history, they are each unique creative spaces filled with art and books: the perfect setting for you to rest, write and be inspired to tell your own stories.
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Not so small print
The prize is the retreat accommodation, not travel costs or other expenses.
Everyone working on this is doing so on a voluntary basis alongside their jobs, families and lives so please bear with us!
A bit about Hannah
Hannah loves stories. She wants to make sure more fantastic stories from as diverse a group of authors as possible make it onto bookshop shelves.
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She worked in-house in editorial for a decade (at Pan Macmillan and Headline Publishing Group) which gives her valuable insight into the workings of a publishing house and an ability to explain the industry and the publishing process from both sides of the business.
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She joined the DHH Literary Agency in 2013 when she realised the more senior she got in-house, the less she got to do the bits of her job she really loves – working directly with authors to develop their ideas for commercial success.
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In 2023 Hannah launched HS-LA with the aim of being part of the change that publishing so desperately needs.
