1. Promoter

The promoter of this competition is:

Northkind Press Ltd
Company number: 17196592
Email: office@northkindpress.co.uk

Northkind Press Ltd is referred to as “Northkind Press”, “we”, “us” or “our” in these terms.

2. About Story Studio

Story Studio is the writing and creative support arm of Northkind Press.

Story Studio is designed to support people to enjoy words, imagination, writing and creative development.

Story Studio may include subscriptions, prompts, workshops, resources, story tools, creative activities, community projects and other writing support offers.

The prize in this competition is a 12-month Story Studio subscription.

The prize does not include every current or future Story Studio service, product, workshop, event, course, editorial service, or publishing opportunity.

Winning the competition does not mean that anything written during the 12-month subscription will be automatically published by Northkind Press.

3. Competition name

The competition is called the Story Studio Launch Competition.

4. Competition type

This is an idea-based prize competition.

Entries will be judged by the Northkind Press editorial team using the judging criteria set out in these terms.

The winner will not be selected at random.

5. Opening and closing dates

The competition opens on: Saturday 6th June 2026

The competition closes at 11:59pm on 30th September 2026.

Entries received after the closing date and time will not be considered.

We are not responsible for late, lost, incomplete, unreadable, delayed, or misdirected entries, including entries affected by technical problems, payment issues, internet failure, postal delays, or event administration errors.

6. Winner announcement

The winner will be selected after the closing date.

The winner will be announced before 1st January 2027.

We will contact the winner using the details that they provide with their entry.

If the winner does not respond within 14 days of being contacted, we will choose another winner.

7. Who can enter

This competition is open to UK residents of all ages.

Entrants under 18 must have permission from a parent or carer before entering.

If an entrant is under 18, the entry must include the parent/carer’s name, email address and confirmation of consent.

The £3 entry fee must be paid by the entrant’s parent/carer or with their permission.

If the winner is under 18, the prize will be awarded to the entrant, but managed through their parent/carer.

Employees, directors, contractors, members of the judging panel and close family members of Northkind Press Ltd may not enter.

By entering, you confirm that: you are eligible to enter, the information you provide is accurate, your entry is your own original work, you have read and accepted these terms.

8. Entry fee

The entry fee is £3 per entry.

The entry fee is non-refundable unless the competition is cancelled by Northkind Press before judging takes place. You may withdraw from the competition but you will not be refunded.

Payment must be completed before an entry can be accepted.

Any costs linked to internet access, travel to an event, bank charges, postage or other personal expenses are the responsibility of the entrant.

9. How to enter

To enter, you must submit a short story idea of no more than 150 words.

You can enter: online through the Northkind Press website or in person at a Northkind Press stall or event.

Your entry must include: your name. your email address or other contact detail, your story idea, confirmation that you accept these terms, payment of the £3 entry fee.

Your story idea can be for any form of creative writing or story-led work.

This may include, but is not limited to: a children’s book, a novel, a memoir, a poem, a family story, a local story, a character-led idea, a creative project, an idea that is unfinished but has potential.

10. Entry limit

You may enter more than once. Each entry must be different. Each entry must be submitted separately and requires a separate £3 entry fee.

11. Entry requirements

Entries must be no more than 150 words. Entries must be written in English. Entries must be the entrant’s own original work.

Entries must not include: unlawful content, abusive or threatening content, discriminatory content, explicit sexual content, graphic violence, content that infringes another person’s rights, private information about another person without permission, copied or plagiarised material, anything written by generative AI.

We reserve the right to reject or disqualify any entry that we believe breaches these requirements or is unsuitable for the competition.

12. The prize

One winner will receive a 12-month Story Studio subscription.

The prize is worth at least £250.

The subscription may include: writing prompts, creative exercises, story-shaping tools, reflective activities, practical guidance, encouragement to develop an idea over time, digital materials. There may also be physical materials, if included in the final subscription offer (this is not guaranteed).

The exact content and format of the Story Studio subscription will develop before the prize is awarded.

Tthe winner receives a 12-month subscription with a minimum value of £250.

The prize is non-transferable.

No cash alternative is available.

13. What the prize does not include

The prize does not confer any obligation or suggestion of: publication by Northkind Press, a publishing contract with Northkind Press or any other publisher, representation by an agent, editing of work, editing of a a manuscript, proofreading of a full manuscript, illustration services, printing costs, distribution services, marketing services, entry into future paid Story Studio services, access to any future Story Studio workshops, products or events, completion of a book or creative project, commercial success.

The prize is creative and developmental support through a creative-writing subscription. It is not a publishing agreement.

14. Judging process

Entries will be read and judged by the Northkind Press editorial team.

Entries will be judged against the following criteria: strength of the idea, originality, emotional pull, clarity, creative potential, suitability for Story Studio subscription support, sense that the idea matters to the entrant or intended audience.

The winning entry does not need to be polished or complete. We are looking for an idea with heart, promise and room to grow.

The judges’ decision is final. We will not enter into correspondence about the final judging decision.

15. Copyright and ownership

You keep copyright of your competition entry and any subsequent writing.

You keep ownership of your story idea, characters, title, concept and any future work you create from it.

Entering this competition does not transfer any copyright, intellectual property rights, publishing rights, adaptation rights, film rights, merchandise rights or commercial rights to Northkind Press.

By entering, you give Northkind Press permission to: receive and read your entry, store your entry for competition administration, share your entry with the judging team, judge your entry, share your entry on social media and our website, contact you about the competition, contact the winner about the prize, keep records needed for legal, tax, accounting and administration purposes.

Permission is limited to running, judging and administering the competition, and to post-competition use of entries for a period of 24 months.

If you win, you still own your idea and any work you create during or after the Story Studio subscription.

Any future publishing, editing, illustration, licensing, commercial, creative, or other arrangement with Northkind Press would need to be agreed separately in writing through normal routes (see the website for more information about working with us).

16. Similar ideas

You understand that different people can have similar story ideas.

Northkind Press may already be reading, developing, supporting, publishing or considering stories, themes, titles, formats, settings, characters or concepts that are similar to your entry.

By entering, you agree that you will not claim Northkind Press has copied your idea simply because it later publishes, supports, discusses, or develops work with similar broad themes, settings, characters, structures or concepts.

This does not affect your copyright in your own original written expression.

17. Publicity

We will announce the winner publicly.

This will include: the winner’s first name, the winner’s town, city or county, the winning idea.

We may publish the full winning entry, without the winner’s separate written permission.

Entrants may wish to consider entering under a pseudonym if they do not wish their name to be associated with their idea.

18. Privacy notice

Northkind Press will collect and use personal information to run this competition.

The personal information we may collect includes:

name

email address

contact details provided on paper or online forms

entry text

payment confirmation

correspondence about the competition

details needed to provide the prize if you win

marketing preferences, if you choose to opt in

We will use this information to:

process entries

confirm payment

check eligibility

judge entries

contact entrants where needed

contact the winner

provide the prize

share entries (if applicable)

keep records for legal, tax and accounting purposes

deal with questions, complaints or disputes

send marketing updates, but only if you have actively opted in

Entering the competition does not automatically sign you up to marketing emails. If you wish to receive our newsletter, you must sign up separately, as marketing consent must be separate from competition entry.

You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time.

19. Lawful basis for using personal information

Under UK data protection law, we need a lawful basis to use your personal information.

We rely on:

contract, because we need to use your information to accept and administer your paid competition entry

legitimate interests, because we need to run, judge, manage, protect and evaluate the competition fairly

legal obligation, where we need to keep records for tax, accounting or legal reasons

consent, where you separately choose to receive marketing updates

20. Who we share information with

We may share personal information with:

members of the Northkind Press editorial team

payment processors

website, form or email providers

professional advisers, such as accountants or legal advisers

public authorities, where legally required

We will not sell your personal information.

21. How long we keep information

Competition entries and entrant contact details will normally be kept for up to 24 months after the winner is announced.

We may keep information for longer if needed to deal with a query, complaint, legal issue or administration matter.

Winner information and payment records may be kept for up to 6 years where needed for accounting, tax, legal or business record purposes.

Marketing contact details will be kept until you unsubscribe or ask us to remove them.

Paper entry forms will be stored securely and destroyed when no longer needed.

22. Your data protection rights

You have rights under UK data protection law.

These may include the right to:

ask for a copy of your personal information

ask for incorrect information to be corrected

ask for your information to be deleted in some circumstances

ask us to restrict how we use your information

object to some uses of your information

withdraw consent where consent is the lawful basis

complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office

To use your rights, contact:

office@northkindpress.co.uk

You can also contact the Information Commissioner’s Office through ico.org.uk.

23. Fair use and conduct

We may reject or disqualify an entry if we believe that:

the entry has been copied

the entry is not the entrant’s own original work

the entrant has used generative artificial intelligence programmes

false information has been provided

payment has not been completed

the entrant is not eligible

the entrant has tried to manipulate the competition

the entrant has behaved abusively, dishonestly or unfairly

the entry breaches these terms

24. Changes, cancellation or technical issues

We reserve the right to cancel, pause, amend or extend the competition if circumstances outside our reasonable control affect the fair running of the competition.

If the competition is cancelled by Northkind Press before judging takes place, entry fees will be refunded where reasonably possible.

We are not responsible for technical failures, website issues, lost forms, payment provider problems, or other issues outside our reasonable control.

25. Liability

Northkind Press will not be responsible for losses, costs or damages connected with entering the competition or using the prize, except where liability cannot be excluded by law.

Nothing in these terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or any other liability that cannot legally be limited or excluded.

26. Governing law

These terms and conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

Any disputes will be dealt with by the courts of England and Wales.

27. Acceptance of terms

By entering the Story Studio Launch Competition, you confirm that you have read, understood and accepted these terms and conditions.