Young writers in Qatar still have until June 30 to submit their entries for the regional short story writing competition celebrating British Council’s 75th anniversary. “Our 75th Anniversary Short Story Competition has been running in the Middle East for over two months and we have had a lot of interest. But we expect a final mad dash as young writers rush to get their entries in before the closing date,” said Stephen Monteith, English Projects Manager. He added that many of the stories turned in have shone in terms of originality, creativity and excellence in English. “We decided to hold this competition for nationals of Middle East countries to support and celebrate the British Council’s long experience of working with partners in countries across the region. It combines two of our key areas of work in cultural relations: English language skills and creativity,” Monteith said. The contest is set to give a platform for young writers to launch a potential writing career and provide teachers new ideas and materials for English lessons to inspire students in classrooms in Qatar. Prizes for the winning entries include a brand new laptop, an iPod, electronic dictionaries and British Council goodie bags. Entries will be judged over the summer by a panel of British Council teachers and specially invited guests on the basis of English writing skills, originality and creativity. Winners will be notified in October with prizes to be awarded at a ceremony in November during the British Council’s 75th anniversary week. Details and entry forms can be found on the British council’s website www.britishcouncil.org/me by clicking on the 75th Story banner on the home page. http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=June2009&file=Local_News2009062424719.xml

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