TU Dublin Short Story Competition: Competition Terms and Conditions

Terms and Conditions

Ownership/Use Rights: 
By entering this competition, entrants agree to allow the organisers to publish without any compensation, except the prizes as publicised:

• Their entries (in print and/or electronic formats)
• Their names and biographical information in all media, including but not limited to newspapers and online websites​
  • However, the above shall be null and void if the entry does not make it to the shortlist, and all rights will revert to the authors

Copyright and license: 
However, by entering the contest and on being selected for the shortlist, you grant the organisers a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish and reproduce in part or full, in print or online media, and to display your full name, short story and photograph in connection with the organisers’ activities, through print or online media channels and/or use any part or the whole in any relevant promotional material.

While copyright of the short story will remain with the author, the organiser reserves the non-exclusive right to arrange the publication and broadcast of the selected works.

• It is the intention of the organisers that the winning and shortlisted entries will be published in an anthology of short stories, within one year.
  • The organisers will have the right to edit, make corrections, and set submitted entry in ‘house style’ for the purpose of publication or marketing. No further remuneration will be made to authors for this.
• The right to use the stories to further publicise this award is also retained by the organisers.
  • The shortlisted authors will agree to have their photograph taken and used for publicity purposes.
• Any re-publication of winning entries should acknowledge the original competition / publication in the competition anthology.

​In connection with your submission, by submitting via this online process, you affirm, represent and/or warrant that (i) you own or have the necessary licenses, rights, consents and permissions to use and authorise the organisers to use all copyright, trademark or other proprietary rights in and to your submission to enable inclusion and use of the submission in the manner contemplated by the competition rules.

Indemnity:
By participating in this Contest, you agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless the organisers, and their office bearers from any and all damages, injuries, claims, causes of action, or losses of any kind (including but not limited to legal fees) arising from your participation in the Contest, your violation of any term of these Contest rules, your violation of any third party right, including without limitation any copyright, property, or privacy right; or any claim that your submission caused damage to a third party.

Banning: 
The Organisers of the competition may, at their sole discretion, prohibit any person from entering the competition whom it believes to be abusing the rules. Such abuse includes but is not limited to falsification of information and/or identity, plagiarism, racial discrimination and bigotry.

Force Majeure clause: 
The Organisers are not liable for failure to perform their obligations under these rules if such failure is as a result of Acts of God (including natural disasters), Acts of War, civil unrest, usurped power or confiscation, terrorist activities, prevention by statutes, or interruption or massive and sustained failure of electricity, internet or telephone service.

• Any extension / reduction of contest and / or the judging window will be at the sole discretion of the Organisers, and notification will be posted on the web of any such changes.
•  If for any reason the submission should not be eligible for the competition, or becomes ineligible following submission the author should notify the organisers immediately.
• The organisers reserve the right to change the rules without notice where it is considered necessary. Any changes made will be posted on the organisers website and any entrant objecting to any change made will have the right to withdraw from the competition prior to judging.
• The organisers cannot be held responsible for any technical, connectivity or network problems experienced by entrants when submitting entries online.

Judging and Notification: 

• Entries which conform to the entry rules will be shortlisted for the consideration of the judging panel. 
• The judging panel will be the sole body involved in assessing entries which meet the competition requirements thereafter.
• Entries which do not meet the requirements / rules will not proceed to the judging stage.  
  • The organisers reserve the right to reject and disqualify any submission that could be offensive or inappropriate or that does not meet the terms and conditions of these rules.
• The judges' decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into. No criticism or advice will be provided.
• Shortlisted authors will be informed about October 2nd, 2020 of their shortlisting.
  • Shortlisted authors under the age of 18 may require a guardian's consent to have their details shared if shortlisted. 
• The winners will be announced during the Red Line Book Festival, at a reception to present commemorative scrolls to all shortlisted authors, provisionally Thursday, October 11th, 2020.

This year's Judge is Rob Doyle. 

Rob Doyle is the author of three internationally acclaimed books, all published by Bloomsbury: Threshold, This Is the Ritual, and Here Are the Young Men, which has been adapted as a major film. His writing has appeared in the Guardian, Irish Times, Vice, and many other publications, and his work has been translated into various languages. He teaches Creative Writing at the University of Limerick, and lives the rest of the year in Berlin.

Any and all expenses incurred in attending the reception are the entrant's responsibility and the organisers will make no contribution in this regard. The organisers will circulate exact details of the date, time and location of the awards ceremony on our website when the shortlist is announced.