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'Mental Health and Me'
Competition
LIVERPOOL'S Mental Health Consortium
and
Writing on the Wall are delighted to announce that the:- 'Mental Health
and Me'
writing competition is back for its 2nd year!
As part of Liverpool's World Mental Health Day celebrations on Saturday 10
October 2015, we are inviting you to send us an original response to the
expression:- 'Mental Health and Me.' Last year's competition was one of the
highlights of the World Mental Health Day programme and attracted a wide selection
of creative work across 6 categories:- 'poetry', 'short stories',
'diary pieces' or
'blog posts', 'letters', a piece of 'journalism', or even a
'tweet'. This year, we're
adding a brand new category:- 'Spoken Word' which we hope will appeal to the
creative flair of even more people.
We would encourage entries from anyone with an interest in:- 'Mental Health
and
Wellbeing.' If mental distress has affected you or someone close to you, if you
have experience as a carer or a professional, or if you have a particular
interest in the subject of mental health for any reason, we want to hear from
you. Critical voices are also welcome!
This year's competition is open to anyone living within Merseyside (Liverpool,
Knowsley, Sefton, Wirral, St Helens) and to all age groups.
Our local ambassador, Councillor Clare Glare says:- "Last year I loved the
quality and honesty of writing in the Mental Health and Me competition from such
a wide range of personal experiences. People were clearly passionate about
sharing their story; the highs and the lows, and the results were incredibly
moving."
The 2014 overall competition winner, Gemma Rogers says:- "I am
incredibly lucky to be at a stage in my recovery where I can use my experience
to help others, and my entry for 'Mental Health and Me' was an honest insight
into depression and its side effects. It was an eye opening experience to read
other people's work and see how mental illness has such a wide spread effect and
how many lives it effects."
Mental Health and Me Competition Rules
The competition is based around the theme 'Mental Health and Me',
and will be
judged around 7 categories:-
► Poetry
► Short stories
► Diary/Blog
► Letters
► Journalism
► Tweets
► Spoken Word
For each category, there will be a judging
panel comprising of professional writers, booksellers, librarians, and people with
personal experience of mental distress. The winners of each category will form
the shortlist from which the overall winner will be selected. For specific
guidelines on each category, please see the Submission Details.
So what will I win?
The overall champion of all 7 categories will win the special WoW
and LMHC trophy,
and book tokens from our independent book store, News from Nowhere! AND - The
winners and runners-up from each category (including the Top 10 Tweets) will be
included in an anthology, published by Liverpool Mental Health Consortium and
Writing on the Wall. Once the winner has been announced, free hard copies will
be available to everyone included in the anthology, with free copies available
online.
On the evening of World Mental Health Day on 10 October, all shortlisted
entrants will be invited to a celebratory event at Liverpool Central Library and
will be given the opportunity to read their work to the public. And between you
and me... a special guest will be announced to judge the winner. Last year we
were delighted to receive support from Ruby Wax... watch this space!
When is the deadline?
The competition is now open; from 1 August 2015,
and closes at 5pm on Monday, 14
September 2015. No entries will be accepted after this date, so make sure you
don't miss out!
For more information and for details on competition rules and how to submit your
entry, please see Writing on the Walll's website.
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