The biennial Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Prize was established by Dr Sylvia Goh with an endowed gift to the Department of English Language and Literature at the National University of Singapore in memory and recognition of her late husband, Goh Sin Tub, who was one of Singapore’s best-known local writers.
Goh Sin Tub and Dr Sylvia Goh are both alumni of the University of Malaya (UM), one of NUS’ predecessor institutions. The Prize commemorates Goh Sin Tub’s life, achievements and support for education.
The genre for the Inaugural Competition is short stories. Subsequent competitions will feature other literary genres.
The deadline for submission of entries is 31 August 2011.
The results will be announced in November 2011 on www.fas.nus.edu.sg/ell and www.nus.edu.sg.
Awards
The following prizes will be awarded:
First Prize: $10,000
Second Prize: $6,000
Third Prize: $4,000
Only one prize per recipient will be awarded.
In the event that there is no deserving prize winner, the Department of English Language and Literature has the discretion not to award any prizes for any given competition.
Rules of the Competition
- The competition is open to all members of the NUS community at the time of submission of entry.
- Entries must be original and must not have been published either online or in print (on the internet , broadcast on radio or television, in online or print newspapers or journals), or accepted for publication in any of these mediums.
- Entries which have won prizes in any other competitions will not be eligible for the competition.
- The same entry must not be submitted for other competitions until after the results of the Goh Sin Tub Competition have been announced.
- Entries must be submitted in the English Language.
- Multiple entries are allowed as long as the rules of the competition are met. However, a participant can only be awarded one prize in the Competition.
- Translated works are not allowed.
- Co-authored works are allowed.
- All prize winners will be notified and will be required to attend the Award presentation in November. Details of the event will be provided closer to the date of the Award Ceremony.
- The competition will be judged in a two-stage adjudication process: (a) shortlisting of 20 entries (b) selection of winners. At each stage, there will be a panel of at least three judges comprising faculty members, student representatives and alumni of the Department of English Language and Literature.
- The decision of the judges is final and no correspondence or discussion will be entertained.
Guidelines for Participants:
A. Manuscript Format:
- The manuscript for the Short Stories competition cannot exceed 20,000 words (no minimum word limit).
- The manuscript must be in arial font size 11 and double-spaced with one inch margins on all sides.
- The manuscript must be printed on single-sided A4-sized paper. An electronic copy on a CD will have to be submitted as well.
- The title of the manuscript and participant’s I/C or FIN number must be specified on the top right hand corner of each page.
- The page number must be specified at the bottom right hand corner of each page in the following format: “pg x out of xx” (eg pg 1 out of 20).
- The word count must be included at the end of the manuscript.
- Apart from the IC or FIN number, no other information (eg name, address or any identifying mark) that may lead to the identity of the participant is to be evident in the manuscript.
B. Submission Process:
- All entries must include the following:
– Official Registration Form
– Four printed copies of the manuscript
– A copy of the manuscript on a CD
– A copy of staff card or matriculation card - Entries must reach the Department of English Language and Literature by registered mail by Wednesday, 31 August 2011 at 5pm
- All entries are to be addressed to:
Ms Angeline Ang
Goh Sin Tub Competition 2011
Department of English Language and Literature
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
National University of Singapore
Blk AS5, 7 Arts Link
Singapore 117570 - Manuscripts received will not be returned to participants.
- Late entries will not be accepted and appeals will not be entertained.
Hi, I’ll be graduating in late April and I am wondering if this is open to alumni.
Hi,
Could I check if this competition is open to NUS Alumni as well?
Thank you!
Can I write a personal narrative short story that is about that’s real and with no dialogues?
Hi Jim,
Yes, you may do so. A short story need not use dialogue in its narrative, and it may be in the first person voice if it is being written as a personal narrative.
Hi Vanessa,
The competition is not open to alumni, but if you are either a staff or student of NUS at the time of the submission of your entry, you are eligible to participate.
Hi Miao,
The competition is not open to alumni, but as a student, you can still submit an entry as long as you are still a student at the time of the submission of your entry.
Is there a speicific theme we have to write on? Also, are there any guidelines on the “rating” of the story, such as how graphic it may be (or may not be)?
Hi Port,
Thank you for your interest. The organisers have not stipulated a theme but merely the genre of the short story, so it would be an “open theme.” There are no guidelines on the “rating” of the story, such as how graphic it may be, but any handling of explicitly graphic materials will be taken into account in the judges’ assessment of their contribution or relevance to the overall quality and effectiveness of the short story being submitted.
Is it possible to hand deliver the article to NUS FASS instead of mailing it by registered mail? I intend to submit by next week while I am still under NUS enrolment, so I would appreciate the additional time.
Hi Felicia,
Yes, you may hand-deliver it to Angeline from the Department of English Language and Literature personally. Please email her at ellanga@nus.edu.sg to arrange the day and time to receive the entry, thank you.
I intend to submit by next week while I am still under NUS enrolment, so I would appreciate the additional time.