OVERSEAS MEMBERS
It has been brought to my attention that our usual competition rules may make it difficult for members living overseas to enter. Sending competition entries in by post will inevitably be a slower and more costly process, with higher risks of entries going astray or arriving after the closing date. Enclosing a cheque (in sterling) for the fee can also be problematic if members do not have a UK bank account or chequebook. There is no ‘one-way fits all’ answer, but I am always happy to discuss other methods of submission and/or payment, including emailed entries that I can print out for you upon receipt, and bank transfers or PayPal payment methods, so please do get in touch if being outside the UK is preventing you from taking part, and I will try to find a way that suits us both!
But, before you enter, please bear in mind how we can pay you if you win a cash prize, as we cannot accept the responsibility or cost of converting prize money into other currencies or paying overseas bank transfer fees.
PRIZES
While our regular ‘Winner Takes All’ competitions, with their one cash prize and volunteer judges, continue to prove popular (and are wholly self-financing), I am sad to report that our annual members-only trophy competitions are not faring quite so well.
Both the Elizabeth Longford Poetry Rose Bowl competition and the John Walter Salver competition have seen falling entry numbers in recent years and, despite choosing prestigious judges, varying the themes and advertising as widely as we can, things are not improving. Both of these competitions are making consistently significant financial losses, after three cash prizes, a judging fee and trophy engraving costs are taken into account. When I tell you that the John Walter Salver has only received between 13 and 22 entries in each of the last five years, you will see just how little the £5 entry fees are able to contribute to the costs. We have been happy to subsidise these competitions up to now, knowing how important they are for many of you, but we also have a responsibility to budget well and spend our limited funds wisely.
No, we do not want to cancel these competitions! We know how important they are, in terms of the prestige and pleasure they bring to our winners. Yes, we would love it if more of you entered! However, a decision has been made that, until matters improve, we will now only be offering one cash prize in each of these two competitions, alongside presentation of the trophy of course. We will be asking our judges to name highly commended entries in addition to a winner, and if and when entry numbers go up, and as soon as we are able to, we will re-introduce cash prizes as rewards for our runners-up. We are sorry if members are disappointed, but the answer is in your hands. Please enter our competitions. With entry numbers low, your chances of winning are extremely good. And if numbers go up, prize money will too.
Viv Brown
Competitions Coordinator
Vivienhampshire@btinternet.com
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