Dubai, 7 October, 2015: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature and Montegrappa are once again offering UAE residents a stepping stone for their writing careers with the Montegrappa Writing Prize. Organisers at the Festival, now hosting the Prize for its fourth year, will be accepting entries from 7 October, 2015 to 10 January, 2016.
The competition is open to unpublished writers above the age of 21 who are based in the UAE, with all entries being judged by top London literary agent, Luigi Bonomi, founder of Luigi Bonomi Associates (LBA). LBA represents a variety of authors, including Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond, journalist John Humphrys, and 2016 Festival authors Judy Finnigan and Richard Madeley.
The eventual winner of the Prize is set to win a host of prizes including a trip to the London Book Fair 2016, a tête-à-tête with Luigi Bonomi, a Montegrappa Limited Edition Writing Instrument and a copy of the current Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook.
Isobel Abulhoul, CEO and Trustee of the Emirates Literature Foundation and Festival Director of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature said: ‘The Montegrappa Writing Prize has been a revelation ever since its inception. The success rate of the winners is unparalleled and inviting them back as internationally published authors has been a genuine thrill for the Festival, as well as great motivation for all participants. I, for one, cannot wait to hear more success stories from the Festival and the Prize.’
‘As creators of luxury writing instruments, it is our pleasure to sponsor an event that gives aspiring writers an opportunity to be recognised,’ said Giuseppe Aquila, CEO of Montegrappa Italia. ‘Montegrappa takes great pride in providing a platform for UAE’s literary stars of tomorrow. Seeing previous winners get publishing deals establishes the importance of this competition and we are looking forward to the 2016 entries.’
Potential participants will also have the opportunity of attending an exclusive workshop with international Editor Flora Rees, to be held at the Dubai International Writers’ Centre on 24 October, sister organisation of the Festival, launched under the aegis of the Emirates Literature Foundation.
Flora Rees has worked in UK trade publishing for over fifteen years and will be providing some much-needed tips for submitting a strong entry for the Montegrappa Writing Prize. She will also be giving guidance on what makes a good pitch, synopsis and first chapter. To sign up for the workshop, register at events@diwc.ae.
Entrants are required to send in a 400-word synopsis and the first 2000 words of their manuscript via the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature website at https://www.emirateslitfest.com/Montegrappa-Writing-Prize-2016
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