Winter
Welcome to the Alpine Fellowship Journal - The Advice Edition.
We recently announced our theme for 2021 and applications are now open for all four of our prizes. We’ve already received hundreds of applications and expect many, many more before the applications close on 1st April 2021.
Whether you’ve entered your work into prizes like this many times or never before, it’s always a challenge. So, to help you work towards your application, most importantly, how to make your work stand out to the judges, we’re devoting an entire edition of our Journal to advice from past winners and answers to a few questions we get asked a lot.
But, before we get on to that, let’s talk about our theme. Your treatment of our theme is, perhaps, the single most important part of your application. So, what is the 2021 theme?
Untamed: On wilderness and civilization
Our founders have written a full introduction to the theme that will give you plenty of information and hopefully a little inspiration. Go to our homepage now to read it.
FAQ’s
Each year we get asked a lot of questions about our prize (most of which the answers could be found on the pages - but that’s another story!) Still, to help you on your way, here are the answers to a few questions we get asked most frequently.
How do I interpret the theme?
We get asked this a lot and the answer is simple: interpret the theme however you want.
We deliberately keep our themes broad and very open to multiple interpretations, because we want you to surprise us with your responses. The important thing to remember is that there isn’t really any ‘wrong’ way to interpret it. However you personally respond is what we’re interested in. So, be brave and, most importantly, be yourself.
Can I submit existing work?
There’s nothing to stop you doing this, however, it MUST relate to our theme and the relation must be meaningful and genuine.
If you’ve been working on something that is a strong relation to the theme, then by all means, submit it. But, it’s pretty obvious when someone is applying with a piece of work that really has nothing to do with the theme and it never gets far in the application process.
Can I submit to more than one prize?
You can only submit one piece of work per prize. So you cannot submit the same piece of writing for both the Writing Prize and the Academic Writing Prize. But if you one to enter into more than one discipline, you can. However, the standards are extremely high in all categories, so it may be better to focus all of your energy on one prize.
Can I submit poetry to the Writing Prize?
Yes! In fact, last year a poet (Maya C. Popa) won the second place prize.
If you’re thinking about submitting with your poetry you can enter as few or as many poems as you like as long as the total amount of words is less than the overall word limit of 2,500 words. There is no lower limit.
Advice
For a little more help, we contacted some of our winners from previous years and some of our judges to ask them what tips they would share with anyone thinking of entering this year.
NGF Clark - Writing Prize Winner 2020
“You need to get the working parts of the story down first – motivation, milieu, conflict – and then you’ve got to give the story a chance to speak its own power. So it pays, I think, to sit on things for a while. Use the time you have. Let the story ferment and sink into itself. Theme emerges at the end of the process, often with the gentlest of touches, when you’re encouraging what’s already there to step into the light.”
Sue Bevan - Theatre Prize Winner 2020
“Be bold. Be brave. Be ambitious. Write from the heart and from passion, then edit from the head...and edit...and edit...and edit. Don't shy away from the hard slog.”
Tara McEvoy - Academic Prize Runner Up 2020
“The great thing about this year's theme, as with previous years, is the breadth of its scope. There are so many directions in which entrants might take their submissions; if I had any advice to offer, it would be to find a way of approaching the theme that aligns with your pre-existing interests. What is it about this theme that speaks to you, specifically? What unique contribution do you have to make to this conversation? Good luck!”
Sally Roberts - Art Prize Runner Up 2020
”Remember to explain clearly how your work relates to the theme. Don't over think it and give it a try!”
Tabitha Mortiboy - Theatre Prize Runner Up 2020
“Entering work into competitions like the The Alpine Fellowship is a vote of confidence in yourself as a writer - it’s a brave and daring thing to submit your work to a panel of readers, but it is so rewarding to send your story out into the world. My advice is to stay true to your idea and to your unique voice as a writer, and the rest will follow. Good luck!”
Emma Venables - Writing Prize Runner Up 2020
“You probably don't think you should enter. You're probably coming up with many reasons why you shouldn't, things like 'I won't even make it to the longlist' and 'I'm not quite sure what I've written fits the theme.'....but you should enter. Why? Because I was you last year. I was sat in bed a few days before the deadline, editing my short story, and trying to talk myself out of entering. But I ignored myself, I entered the competition, and I ending up winning 3rd prize. The beauty of the Alpine Fellowship is that the prizes are free to enter. You literally have nothing to lose, so go ahead...try!' “
Lucy Foster - Theatre Prize Winner 2019
"For your sample script, give something that you feel really showcases you as a writer. This is a great way for the judges to see how you'll execute on the idea that you're pitching, and show off your skills! And for the treatment itself: don't be afraid to suggest an idea that feels too niche or too personal. Go for something that you love and show why you think it's such an interesting example for this year's theme.”
That’s all for now…
The bottom line is to give it a go! Let the theme inspire you, do your best work and then see what happens. Remember, all our judging is done anonymously, so even if you’re very early in your career or perhaps even have never shared your work before, that won’t work against you. Be brave and give it a go: something amazing might happen.
We look forward to reading and seeing your work!
The Alpine Fellowship