Surrey New Writers Festival
May
18th
2024
ABOUT snwf
Surrey New Writers’ Festival (SNWF) has been hosted annually by the School of Literature and Languages at the University of Surrey since 2013. It is a vibrant all-day celebration of contemporary writing, welcoming writers, readers and students from across London and the South East.
Previous writers we have featured include Monica Ali, Diana Evans, Julia Armfield, Neel Mukherjee, Inua Ellams, Michael Donkor and Elise Valmorbida.
This year, we are proud to have Blue Bear Bookshop as our official bookseller with titles available for purchase on site.
SNWF 2023 – ‘The best of Surrey’ celebrating 10 years of the SNWF.
This year's edition of the festival will take place between 11am-7pm, May 18th, 2024 at the Rik Medlik Building in the University of Surrey.
We will be joined by the following authors:
Headliner
Megan Hunter
and featuring
Rowan Hisayo Buchanan
Santanu Bhattacharya
Freya Bromley
Paula Cocozza
Nicola Dinan
Kit Fan
Emma Glass
Sarvat Hasin
Anna Metcalfe
Gianni Washington
programme
11am-11:50am Kit Fan and Gianni Washington in conversation with Dr. Sharlene Teo
12pm- 12:50pm Santanu Bhattacharya and Emma Glass in conversation
with Lydia Dhoul
1pm- 2pm- lunch break
2pm-2:50pm Rowan Hisayo Buchanan and Nicola Dinan in conversation with Dr. Lena Mattheis
3 pm- 3:50pm Paula Cocozza and Anna Metcalfe in conversation with Dr. Gabriele Lazzari
4pm- 4:50pm Freya Bromley and Sarvat Hasin in conversation
with Prof. Marion Wynne-Davies
5pm- 6:15 pm Headliner Megan Hunter and Surrey New Writing Prize award ceremony
6:30pm- 7:30pm LitSoc Open Mic
15th May 2024 Shortlist Announcement
Congratulations to our shortlisted authors!
We received 108 entries of a very
high calibre- from this, 10 stories
were selected and judged
anonymously and our 3 winners
decided after a 1.5 hour deliberation,
decided on a point system of the
three categories [literary merit, interpretation of theme, and originality of ideas].
Winners will be announced on May 18th, Saturday at 5pm in 03 MS 01, the Rik Medlik Building, the University of Surrey.
Thank you to all the writers who entered our inaugural prize- we loved reading your stories. Please enter again next year.
Prize Sponsor
short story prize
1st Prize £1400
2nd prize £400
3rd prize £200
2024 Prize Judges
Anna Metcalfe
Novelist and Short Story Writer
Rowan Hisayo Buchanan
Novelist and Short Story Writer
Elizabeth James
Director Strategy and Operations, Surrey Institute for People-Centred AI
The Surrey New Writing Prize is an annual short story prize awarded to the best piece of short fiction written in response to a given, topical theme.
The prize is open to writers residing in the UK of all ages and backgrounds. Both unpublished and published writers are eligible for entry, as long as the work submitted is original and previously unpublished.
Winner and runners up will be invited to a prize ceremony to take place at the Surrey New Writers Festival on May 18, 2024. Winning stories will be showcased on the People-Centred AI Institute website.
In keeping with the University of Surrey's forward-thinking, globalised outlook, this year's theme is People and Artificial Intelligence.
We are looking for stories which think globally and move deeply, exploring the contemporary condition in original and incisive ways.
How can creative writing interface and present new possibilities for key areas such as sustainability, animal/human health and our ongoing interaction with AI-powered language models?
We are looking for stories that inspire us to think about the dystopian/utopian possibilities arising within our global future.
This is not strictly a science fiction / speculative writing competition - all genres are welcome, particularly literary fiction.
What do we mean by the theme People and Artificial Intelligence? Here are some suggestions, though these are by no means exhaustive:
Stories that explore how AI can empower people.
Stories that explore the impact of AI on individuals and their adaptation to change.
Stories that move the conversation away from the uncanny valley and robots in care, towards embracing possibilities to reduce patient loneliness, isolation and pressure on public services.
Stories that explore bias and focus a magnifying glass on our own behaviour and attitudes towards AI.
Stories that explore AI and its relationship (or lack thereof) with spirituality.
Stories that examine AI in everyday contexts
RULES
Entries must be 2000 words minimum (not including title), 5000 words maximum.
Entrants may enter as many stories as they like, with an entry fee of £6 per story.
The story must be written in English.
Entries must be original and not infringe upon the right or copyright of any person or entity.
Both published and unpublished writers are eligible for entry, as long as the work has not been previously published anywhere in full or in part, online or offline.
For full rules, submission guidelines and entry click here.
There are no age restrictions, but writers must reside within Great Britain.
A shortlist of 10 will be drawn from the entries.
Judges will read all shortlisted stories anonymously.
Entries will be judged on
1) literary merit
2) interpretation of theme
3) originality of ideas
register for
FESTIVAL TICKETS
SUBMIT PRIZE ENTRY
