To celebrate the centenary of ‘The Wind in the Willows’ and its enduring appeal, the River & Rowing Museum is inviting submissions of new river-related stories for a young 21st century audience. We’re hoping to find a ‘Wind in the Willows’ for our times. The competition is part of this year’s Henley Literary Festival.

Judges are award-winning/acclaimed writers for children and young adults: Beverley Birch (‘Rift‘), S.I. Martin (‘Jupiter Williams’), Paul Bryers (‘Kobal‘ from ‘The Mysteries of the Septogram’), and Sarah Mussi (‘The Door of No Return’ ).

Stories can be a maximum of 4,000 words.

Ist Prize: £500 + Real Writers (fiction consultancy) assessment.
Two other cash prizes for 2nd and 3rd selections.
All three winning stories will be published on the Museum’s website and available to readers online for 12 months.

The deadline is the 15th of March 2009 and a prize-giving event will take place at the River & Rowing Museum June 2009.

Entrants must be 16 years or over. Download the form on the right of this page to enter and see full terms and conditions.