The UP Student Counselling Unit (SCU) is running an exciting competition for our amazing students to honour and celebrate them for their inspiring levels of RESILIENCE.

THIS YEAR’S COMPETITION 

We would like you to help enhance the resilience levels of your fellow university students and inspire our UP community by writing a short story that showcases the use of various resilience skills and resources in action.

HOW DO I ENTER?

Send an email to: [email protected] with the subject heading “Resilience Competition” and you will receive a link to complete the Competition Entry Form and attach your short story in PDF format. You will also receive the competition rules document when you email [email protected] to enter. You must acknowledge that you have read and consent to the competition rules.

YOUR CHECKLIST - WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR COMPETITION ENTRY:

1. Write a fictional short story of maximum 1500 words, minimum 1000 words. Your story should be written using Arial 12 Font, 1.5 spacing and submitted in PDF format (4-5pages).

2. Your story should introduce us to a character who is dealing with a specific challenge/adversity. Describe the challenge/adversity in a clear and concise manner.

3. The majority of your story should focus on how this character overcomes the specific challenge/adversity by accessing resources within their environment and utilizing skills or coping mechanisms.

4. Include these essential elements of a short story:

• Character development - well defined characters
• Setting - should be clear, not vague
• Plot - include an interesting plot that will grab the reader’s attention
• Point of view – understand and provide information of characters from different perspectives
• Theme - the story should have a strong theme that is conveyed throughout.

5. Additional requirements for your short story:

• Creativity - unique, original
• Conciseness - stick to the 1000 words limit
• Use of Imagery (use as many senses as appropriate as well as figurative and metaphorical language
• Voice - the writer’s voice should be distinctive and consistent
• Appropriate use of language (descriptive and figurative language)  
• Correct grammar and spelling.
• Concluding statements - the conclusion of the story should provide a sense of closure and leave a lasting impression on the reader.

TIMELINE

THE COMPETITION STARTS FRIDAY, 25 AUGUST 2023 AND ENDS WEDNESDAY, 27 SEPTEMBER 2023. 

AWESOME CASH PRIZES FOR WINNERS:

1st Prize - R2 500 

2nd Prize - R 2000

3rd Prize - R1 500

TERMS, AGREEMENTS and COPYRIGHT

1.    By entering you agree that your submission can be shared with the UP community and publicly. 

2.    Submissions will be showcased to the larger UP community and also publicly. A collection of the top 10 short stories will be collated and shared with the UP Community and publicly. 

Additional terms and conditions apply. The competition rules document will be provided to you when you email [email protected] to enter.