TERMS & CONDITIONS 2023

1. By entering this competition, entrants agree to accept and be bound by these terms and conditions.

2. This competition is open to anyone aged 16 or over, except for the employees (and their families) of Big Finish Productions (the Publisher), and any other company connected with the competition.

3. The competition closes at 23:59 BST on Friday 30 June 2023.

4. To enter, entrants must submit one document consisting of a single-page synopsis (approximately 500 words) in the English language and a single-page opening excerpt from the story (approximately 500 words – prose, not drama script) in the English language.

5. Entries are to be emailed to competitions@bigfinish.com.

6. The email entry: must include the story title in the email Subject line must include, in the body of the email, the entrant’s full name and a contact email address. The attached synopsis/excerpt document must NOT include personally identifying details (for example, name or email address), or the entry will be disqualified. By submitting an entry to the competition address, entrants are confirming they have agreed to the full terms and conditions.

7. Entrants may submit only one (1) entry to the competition. Each entry must be original material, written by a single author, and must not have been submitted in any previous year’s competition.

8. All entries must be original, previously unpublished works of fiction and comply with entrance guidelines detailed here.

9. Entrants must not have previously written for Big Finish.

10. All qualifying entries will be judged by a panel comprising Big Finish and independent judges.

11. Entries that arrive after the closing date will not be considered. Neither the Promoter nor the Publisher are responsible for illegible, incomplete, delayed or lost entries.

12. The Promoter and the Publisher regret that entries cannot be returned.

13. A longlist of valid entries will be forwarded to a judging panel. A single winner will be notified by email by 31 July 2023. The winner will be the entry which, in the sole opinion of the judging panel, is the best.

14. The decision of the judges is final. No correspondence will be entered into, nor will the Promoter, Publisher or the competition judges give feedback on individual entries, during the competition period or afterwards.

15. All unsuccessful entries will be disposed of.

16. Production is subject to the winner entering into a contract with Big Finish Productions. This will afford an exclusive licence to the Publisher, permitting the editing, adapting, publishing and licensing of all or part of the production in all editions, formats (including print and electronic), in all languages and territories globally. Should entrants not want to grant these rights they should not submit materials. In the event an agreement cannot be reached, as regards the contract, within 30 days of the discussions commencing, the winning entry will be returned to the entrant and an alternative winner will be selected.

17. The prize is otherwise non-transferable, and no cash alternative or other substitute is available.

18. Notwithstanding anything set forth above, the Publisher reserves the right to choose the most appropriate format for the production.

19. By entering this competition each entrant confirms that:

(a) Their entry is their wholly-owned creation and makes no use of any third-party materials or intellectual property rights (other than those explicitly allowed by the writers’ guidelines);

(b) No deliberate attempt has been made to base any fictional characters in the production upon any individual, living or dead

(c) The submitted materials contain nothing that is illegal, obscene or of a defamatory nature. Entrants will keep the Promoter and the Publisher harmless from any claims that the entry infringes the personal or proprietary right of any other person.

20. Events may occur that render the awarding of the prize impossible due to reasons beyond the control of the Promoter or the Publisher, and the Publisher may, at its absolute discretion, vary, amend, suspend or withdraw the prize with or without notice. No correspondence will be entered into.

21. The winning entrant agrees to the Promoter's and Publisher's use of their name, country of residence and photograph in relation to related publicity material and activities.

22. The Promoter or the Publisher may disqualify any entrant whose entry does not comply with these terms or whose actions, in the Promoter’s or the Publisher’s determination, are fraudulent, dishonest, criminal or unjust to other entrants.

23. The Publisher will use the personal details of entrants only for the purposes of administering the competition. Entrants consent to the use of their personal data for this purpose. Personal details will not be kept on file by the Promoter.

24. These terms are governed by the laws of England.

25. Promoter: Big Finish Productions, Ground Floor, Arena Court, Crown Lane, Maidenhead, SL6 8QZ

26. The Publisher is responsible for all elements of the prize.

Last updated: 08 May 2023