Terms and Conditions

1. The Rewrite History Challenge is organised by Bedfordshire Archives and Records Service.
2. The Challenge is open to all Year 5 to Year 13 students studying at a Bedfordshire school or college. Entry is free.
3. The competition opens on 17^th October 2016 and closes on 10^th February 2017 at 4 pm. Entries arriving after this date will not be eligible for inclusion in the competition.
4. Poems and short stories entered into this competition must refer to one of the sources supplied by Bedfordshire Archives. The purpose of the source is to provide inspiration for a creative piece of writing.
5. All submissions must be unpublished original works by the student. Short stories must be fictional although present day or historical public figures may feature in the work.
6. Entries may be typed or hand written. Scribed entries are also accepted.
7. Entries or parts of entries must not have been entered into previous competitions or have been published previously.
8. Relatives of Bedfordshire Archives staff or persons closely connected with the competition are not eligible for prizes in this competition.
9. A student may enter both the poetry and the short story categories but only one entry from each category will be considered. In the case that more than one entry from a category is submitted, only the entry received first will be considered. 
10. Entries may be posted or emailed to Bedfordshire Archives. For postal entries please use the address: Bedfordshire Archives, Riverside Building, Borough Hall, Cauldwell Street, Bedford, MK42 9AP. Please send electronic entries in Word or PDF formats to: rewrite.history@bedford.gov.uk.
11. All entrants must complete a submission form with their entry. The form must include the Bedfordshire Archives reference number of the document used as inspiration and the name, age, Key Stage and school attended by the entrant.
12. Bedfordshire Archives are unable to return any short stories or poems submitted to this competition to individuals or to their schools.
13. Bedfordshire Archives does not accept liability for any loss or damage to entries. Proof of postage is not proof of receipt.
14. Entries will be judged on originality and use of language and, in the case of short stories, the plot. It is not expected that entrants compose their entry using the written form of English of the period.
15. The first round of judging will be carried out by Bedfordshire Archives staff. One short story and one poem will be selected as finalists for Key Stages 2, 3, 4 and 5. The eight finalists will then be submitted to a guest judge who will select two overall winners, one from Key Stage 2/3 and another from Key Stage 4/5.
16. The judges’ decision will be final in determining the finalists and Key Stage winners. No correspondence will be entered into.
17. Entrants retain the copyright of their work but grant Bedfordshire Archives a perpetual non-exclusive royalty-free licence to publish (across all media) all or any part of an entry. Entrants will, by submitting a poem or fictional short story, agree to Bedfordshire Archives editing, adapting or abridging the work for promotional activities.   
18. Bedfordshire Archives promises that any personal details such as name and age of the entrant will only be used for the purposes of this writing competition.
19. Entry into the competition implies acceptance of these conditions.