The writer of this year's winning entry will be presented with the prize at the BCSA annual dinner in London in November 2005. The piece will be published in the December 2005 issue of the British Czech and Slovak Review.

Submissions are invited from individuals of any age, nationality or educational background.

Entry is free. Entries should be received by 30 June 2005. An author may submit any number of entries. The competition will be judged by a panel of experts. The writer of the prize-winning entry will be notified by 30 September 2005.

Entries should be submitted by post to the BCSA Prize Administrator, 24 Ferndale, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 3NS, England, or by e-mail to prize@bcsa.co.uk.

Submission guidelines

All entries must be in English, prose, typed with double-spacing and no more than 2,000 words in length.

To ensure objective and anonymous judging the writer's name must not appear anywhere on the piece itself.

The title must appear on the first page of the entry.

All entries must be accompanied by a cover sheet, which should include the following information:

* the writer's name, address, home telephone/fax number, e-mail address and date of birth;

* the title of the piece and the word count;

* a signed statement verifying that the submission is an original piece of writing by the writer and has not been previously published, and that any citations are complete, correct and acknowledged in due form;

* a note of how the entrant learned about the competition.

The BCSA's decision on the winning entries will be final. Entries are subject to the rules of the competition, which are available on request from the BCSA Prize Administrator at the addresses given above, or by phone on +44 (0) 1892 543206. Copies of this notice are also available free from the Prize Administrator.

www.bcsa.co.uk