Submitting for CWA Competitions: In at the Kill
The deadline’s getting close! So here’s some last-minute advice for you on the practicalities of submitting.
Please remember the rule: if you have any problems with your Debut Dagger submission, you must let us know on comps@thecwa.co.uk before the deadline – 6pm GMT Thursday 29 February. There’s nothing we can do to help if you don’t contact us until afterwards. The portal closes at 6pm sharp.
The same goes for the Margery Allingham Short Story Prize.
So give yourself time to pay, time to submit your entry and time to get in touch before the deadline if things go wrong.
If you know you’re going to be last minute submitting your entry, then help yourself on one score and pre-pay: buy your voucher for entry now from the CWA shop. Then keep it safe and accessible so it’s ready to enter when you’re submitting!
Try to avoid submitting in the last few hours of the competition. Our website is very reliable but even so, if a lot of people are accessing that portal at the same time, minutes before 6pm, there’s always a possibility of it crashing or having a hissy fit. So best advice is not to enter then. If you do, though, and you can’t get it to submit, then it helps if you’ve at least paid if you need us to accept an entry after that time. Contact me on comps@thecwa.co.uk if the worst happens. I will get back to you that evening if I can, and help if at all possible.
But preferably, save us all the worry and angst and submit your entry well before the deadline!
Finally, well done for having the courage to enter writing competitions. That’s a big achievement in itself, and a confidence-booster too. The very best of luck!
Any problems or queries, contact me on comps@thecwa.co.uk
For full information about the Debut Dagger, sponsored by ProWritingAid, see:
https://thecwa.co.uk/awards-and-competitions/the-daggers/debut-dagger
Dea Parkin
Competitions Coordinator
The CWA
