Adele Parks “The Image of You” Short Story Competition
Calling all aspiring storytellers! My Weekly, in collaboration with Substance Global, is thrilled to announce the launch of our short story writing competition, inspired by the digital release of The Image Of You, based on the acclaimed novel by Adele Parks.
Actors Sasha Pieterse (Anna) and Parker Young (Nick) from the film The Image of You
Writing Competition: How To Enter
Are you ready to immerse yourself in the world of fiction and captivate our readers with your creativity? We invite you to submit your original short story, up to 1800 words in length, via email to shortstory@substanceglobal.com before the closing date of June 10, 2024 at 12pm.
Writers should submit a never-before published short story with a romance, thriller or cosy crime genre, suitable for My Weekly readers. Please read the T & Cs below for full details.
The winning story will be featured in an upcoming issue of My Weekly magazine, accompanied by a stunning illustration. But that’s not all! The talented writer behind the winning entry will also receive an iTunes voucher to download The Image Of You film which brings Adele Parks’ captivating narrative to life, as well as a personally signed copy of the novel itself.
Also read our interview with Adele Parks, where she talks about her fascinating career, The Image of You filmmaking, and shares writers’ tips.
Terms and Conditions of The Image of You Short Story Competition
Competition Information
Promoter
This promoter of this competition is Substance Global Partners LLP (“Substance Global”), Unit 406 – Metropolitan Wharf, 70 Wapping Wall, London, England, E1W 3SS and DC Thomson & Company Limited, Courier Buildings, 2 Albert Square, Dundee, DD1 9QJ (“DCT”) (together “the Promoters”).
Available Prizes
The prizes available to win are as follows:
· First Prize: The short story published in My Weekly, alongside a commissioned illustration, an iTunes voucher to download the film (provided by Paramount), a signed copy of The Image of You book (provided by Headline).
· Runner Up (1) available: An iTunes voucher to download the film (provided by Paramount), a signed copy of The Image of You book (provided by Headline).
Entry
Entries are invited from across the UK for those aged 18 and over.
Entrants must be amateur writers. They should submit a never-before published story that can be printed in My Weekly and online without restriction. Copyright for the original stories remains with the authors at all times.
Submissions must have a word count of 1800 with no more than 10% over or under that number.
Submissions must be in the one of the following genres – romance, thriller or cosy crime. Entries should be typed and emailed as a Word document to shortstory@substanceglobal.com and include a synopsis (100 words), the short story and a personal bio on the author.
Entries should arrive no later than June 10, 2024 at 12pm.
Selection process
The entries will be judged by a panel of judges, composed of Adele Parks, Kirstyn Smith (Fiction Editor, My Weekly) and Imogen Cooper (Bookfluencer). Once the entries have been judged and the winner selected, the winner and runner-up will be announced on the My Weekly website at myweekly.co.uk, the My Weekly magazine and My Weekly social media channels.
Claiming Prizes
All prize-winners will be contacted by telephone or email to confirm that they have won a prize and to provide further information on how to claim their prize.
Dates
Submissions open from May 14, 2024 at 12pm via email – shortstory@substanceglobal.com.
Entry deadline is June 10, 2024 at 12pm.
Terms and Conditions
These terms and conditions (“Terms”) are supplemental to and should be read in conjunction with any specific entry instructions or terms applying to the specific competition (“Competition Information”) and in the event of inconsistency these Terms shall prevail.
To enter a competition all entrants must comply with the entry requirements set out in the Competition Information and these Terms. The entrant acknowledges that failure to comply with the Competition Information or these Terms may result in his/her disqualification from the competition.
Unless expressly stated otherwise in the Competition Information these Terms apply to all competitions run (including, without limitation, in print, online, at events or on social media pages) by DC Thomson and Company Limited (a company registered in Scotland with company no. SC005830 whose registered address is 2 Albert Square, Dundee DD1 9QJ (“DCT”) and/or any group companies wholly or partially owned by DC Thomson.
DCT reserves the right to amend and update these Terms at their sole discretion from time to time and such changes will become effective as soon as they are published on the relevant site/publication.
Eligibility
1. Employees and members of their immediate families (being spouses, parents, children and siblings) of DCT and Substance Global are not eligible to enter the competition.
2. Entry to this competition is restricted to entrants who are residents of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) only.
3. Further restrictions for certain competitions, regarding age, residence and/or other requirements may be specified in the Competition Information and shall take precedence over these Terms.
4. The Promoters have the right at any time to require entrants to provide proof of identity as evidence of eligibility to participate. If an entrant fails to comply with a request for proof of identity, or provides false or misleading information, the Promoters may at their discretion, disqualify the entrant from the competition, or, where appropriate allocate the prize to another eligible entrant. Such a decision will be final, and no correspondence will be entered into about a decision regarding eligibility.
Entry
6. Entries must be submitted in accordance with the format specified in the Competition Information. Entrants may make one entry to the competition.
7. The competition is free to enter and (unless otherwise stated in the Competition Information) no purchase is necessary. However standard charges of entry (including postage charges) may be incurred, and all entrants must ask permission from the bill payer before entering. The Promoters are not liable for any associated cost to entrants of entering a competition unless expressly specified in the Competition Information.
8. Proof of sending an e-mail is not proof of our receipt of your entry and the Promoters accept no responsibility for lost, delayed or damaged entries or entries that are not received for any reason.
9.The closing date for entries will be specified in the Competition Information and winners will be notified within 28 days of the closing date (or such other date specified in the Competition Information). Any late entries will not be accepted but the participant may still incur any associated costs.
10.Incomplete or illegible entries will not be counted and will be discarded. The Promoters have no responsibility to inform any entrant that their entry is incomplete or illegible or not valid for entry to a competition.
11. The Promoters are not liable for any associated cost to entrants or winners of entering a competition or claiming a prize unless expressly specified in the Competition Information.
12. In entering the competition, you warrant that all information you submit is your own, original work (and not created using generative AI or a similar technology); correct; and not obscene or offensive or otherwise in breach of any third-party rights and the Promoters reserve the right to verify the eligibility of all entrants. The Promoters reserve the right to disqualify any entrant from the competition if it believes (in its sole discretion) that such entrant has breached any of these terms or the specific terms applying to the competition.
13. Entrants (including winners) shall not do or say anything that could damage or harm the reputation of DCT or its group companies, Substance Global, any products included within its publications or any DCT publication or sites.
14. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any other Social Network.
Intellectual Property
15. If you are selected as the winner of this competition, you agree to grant to DCT the following rights in respect of all entries you submit for the full period of copyright including all renewals, reversions, extensions and revivals of such period:
(a) The exclusive right to first publication in any Media (as defined below), in any language, anywhere in the world in My Weekly magazine, or any My Weekly website or social media account at DCT’s discretion.
(b) Following DCT’s first use as described in Clause 15(a) above, the non-exclusive, transferable right to reuse, republish and retransmit your entry or entries in any Media, in any language, anywhere in the world, in My Weekly magazine, or any My Weekly website or social media account at DCT’s discretion and without further payment to you. These rights will continue to apply and cannot be revoked.
(c) The right to translate, amend, cut or alter your entry as DCT sees fit in accordance with the DCT’s normal editorial practice.
(d) The non-exclusive right to use, store, publish and/or transmit your entry or entries in internal archives and databases managed and used by DCT.
(e) The non-exclusive right to permit third parties to use, store, publish and/or transmit your entry or entries in their external archives and databases for research purposes only. External archives and databases offer access for research purposes to material from a wide range of sources. They are usually accessible on-line but also in other Media. Examples of such external archives include Lexis Nexis and Factiva.
(h) For the purposes of this clause 15, “Media” means any present and future media formats, including but not limited to print publications, digital products, websites, apps, audio publications, electronic publications and interactive publications.
16. For the avoidance of doubt, except as expressly granted herein, all rights to the entry or entries of whatever nature throughout the world will be retained by you (including copyright).
18. In certain circumstances, it may be necessary to publish a photograph of you for publicity, promotion or other activity relating to your entry. In the event that this is required, you grant DCT and Substance Global permission to publish a photograph of you of its choosing.
19. If we make any changes to or jointly contribute to an entry you will not be entitled to use the jointly created or edited version of such entry yourself or authorise any third parties to use it without DCT’s prior written consent.
Judging and Draws
20. The entries will be judged by a panel of judges, which are selected by the Promoters and described further in the Competition Information.
21. Unless expressed otherwise in the Competition Information, if, for any reason, the Promoters are unable to contact a winner to inform them that they have won a competition, or if a winner does not contact the Promoters within 14 days of the Promoters sending notification to such winner to confirm acceptance of a prize, then the Promoters reserve the right (in its sole discretion) to select an alternative winner.
Prizes
22. The Prizes are as set out in the Competition Information.
23. There is no cash alternative for the prize. The Promoters reserve the right to substitute the Prize with a prize of equal or greater value.
24. Please allow up to 28 days for the Prize to be delivered to you.
Winners
25. The Promoters may pass details of winners to a third party who is engaged to deliver prizes to winners on their behalf.
Publication of Winners’ Names
26. Names of winners and results of competitions may be published by the Promoters in relevant publications and/or on our relevant online channels. To obtain the name(s) of the winner(s) of a specific competition, please send a stamped addressed envelope to: – DCT, 2 Albert Square, Dundee DD1 9QJ after the relevant closing date. Please indicate on the envelope the name, publication and date of the specific competition.
Publicity and Use of Personal Information
27. Entrants agree that (if they win) they will take part in such reasonable competition-related publicity as the Promoters may require and accept that the Promoters may publicise their entry, including photos or images submitted as part of their entry, names, likeness and statements in connection with/resulting from the competition in any and all media. Unless stated otherwise in the Competition Information, no Entrants or Winners shall be obliged to take part in any photo publicity. Entrants shall not enter into any correspondence or give interviews with any third party on any matters arising from the competition, without prior written permission of the Promoters.
28. The Promoters for the competition may use data supplied by entrants to process the competition, inform winning participants of their winning entry, distribute prizes and, where the relevant marketing permissions have been collected, to contact entrants in relation to other competitions it runs or to market products or services it believes may be of interest to them.
29. Entry into the competition shall constitute consent to the uses of data contained in these Terms.
30. If, at any time, entrants no longer wish to be contacted for the purposes above, they should contact us in accordance with our Privacy Policy. We will always use and keep personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy – https://www.dcthomson.co.uk/privacy-policies/
Liability
31. To the extent permissible under applicable law, the Promoters shall not be liable to any entrant or to the winner (and/or any guest or parent/guardian as applicable) for any loss or damage howsoever caused (whether in contract, tort (including, without limitation, negligence, statutory duty or otherwise) arising out of or in connection with the competition.
32.To the fullest extent permitted by law the Promoters do not make any express or implied warranties, representations or endorsements whatsoever with regard to the competition prizes or any information, service or product provided in connection with a competition.
33. The Promoters do not accept any responsibility for network, computer hardware or software failures of any kind, including (without limitation) those which may restrict or delay the sending or receipt of an entry.
Applicable Law
34. Competitions and these Terms (including in respect of any non-contractual obligations) are governed by Scottish law and any disputes arising in connection with a competition and/or these Terms (including in respect of any non-contractual obligations) will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Scotland.
Allison Hay
I joined the "My Weekly" team thirteen years ago and, more recently, "The People's Friend". I love the variety of topics we cover both online and in the magazines. I manage the digital content for the brands, sharing features and information on the website, social media and in our digital newsletters.
