Sponsored Places For Cheshire Novel Prize
Today, I received an email about our sponsored places. The email was entirely justified. I understand the questions it posed: should we waiver all proof of sponsored places because of writers feeling the stigma of having to ‘prove’ they need a place?
Interesting question…there is no right or wrong answer.
A few years ago, I lost my job. I went from being a high-earning professional to having no income. Thankfully, I could rely on the goodwill of others to help pay my bills and put food on the table. However, my mental health suffered considerably as a result. I know first-hand what it is like to lie awake at night wondering if bill payments will bounce, reducing food portions for a few days because there wasn’t enough money to buy more, or being so down that I couldn’t see an end to the financial strain.
In December 2021, I put up a tweet asking for work. Luckily, people responded and, because of their kindness, my editing business was born. I will be forever grateful to Rosie Fiore, Lizzy Dent, Jim Whelan and Hugh Ryan for being my first self-employed editing clients. Thank you also to my friend, Heleen Kist, who shamelessly peddled my wares to anyone who would listen, and brought in extra clients and gave me the necessary pep talks (and sourdough starter kits) I needed to keep going.
I set the Cheshire Novel Prize up, NOT to make money, but to support writers with free places, resources, workshops and interviews. Our prizes and giveaways are not subsidised, or provided for free by others, I buy them personally.
The writers and publishing professionals who do our events give up their time to help us for free. We support where we can through buying their books and organising giveaways and relentless promotion on social media. We have wonderful writers and publishing professionals who are willing to read for us and have been so generous with offers of help. We will acknowledge them all in due course.
When I lost my job and during the height of the pandemic, I was given a sponsored place for a writing competition. I was so grateful for that opportunity. I was long listed. It was a bright light at the end of a gloomy tunnel. My life was in chaos, but it gave me hope I could still chase my dreams. The Caledonian Novel Award gave me that hope. They kept my dream alive. For that, I will be forever grateful. It is partly that gratefulness—and the fact that I am now firmly back on my feet— that made me want to set up The Cheshire Novel Prize and give something back.
As someone who has funded 20 places, I am in the camp of needing to somewhat help me to understand why a free place is needed. I can’t afford to be blasé about giving away precious places because I want to ensure the places go to the right people.
Admittedly, the problem with waiving the proof for a sponsored place is a bit of a chicken and egg. Trust to hand them out regardless? Or face the sponsored places being open to misinterpretation? Where’s the fine balance between writers losing their dignity by proving they need it, versus giving them away liberally? What is the definition of low income? I guess we are saying that if you could not afford to enter any other way, then you can apply.
Most of our places are funded by writers and publishing professionals who are using their own hard-earned money to help others. As the organiser of this competition, I don’t want to risk their trust by asking them to fund places for people who may be able to afford to enter. ‘But people don’t abuse the system,’ I hear you yell. You would be surprised.
Due to GDPR, sponsored applications are monitored through a separate portal, overseen by an independent HR professional. As soon as we approve the places, proof of entry is deleted and we give sponsored writers a discount code to submit. No one at the novel prize who is judging or reading, knows who has received a sponsored place.
We have approved places without proof of income, and each case is considered individually. We are happy to work with organisations that want to put low income or underrepresented writers names forward for immediate approval.
If you are an individual applying and you are uncomfortable about providing proof of income or you cannot provide proof, please email us and we will do everything we can to help. We have over 80 free places and have only used half of them and if we need more, we have writers waiting to offer more. However, our understanding with our sponsors is, we will only invoice for places used. We want to make sure their money is being spent well.
This is a new prize for us and we won't always get it right first time. However, we will do everything we can to make sure we continually improve our processes and are open to feedback.
Thanks for reading.
Sara Cox
Founder of Cheshire Novel Prize