NUMEROUS writers will be glued to their desk as the deadline for a prestigious memoir writing competition nears its application deadline.

The Bridport Prize is an international creative writing competition, and the deadline for applications to this year's memoir writing contest is fast approaching on September 30.

The contest asks what stories we have to tell about ourselves, the good, bad, and how we ended up where we are. The award celebrates life stories, a look back into what was and is.

Judged by best selling author Cathy Rentzenbrink - author of memoir 'The Last Act of Love' about the life and death of her brother - this is the first year of that the Bridport Prize has implemented a category for memoirs.

Cathy Rentzenbrink also wrote A Manual for Heartache, Dear Reader and Everyone is Still Alive. Her latest book Write It All Down: How to put your life on the page was published in January 2022.

Cathy regularly chairs literary events, interviews authors, reviews books, runs creative writing courses and speaks and writes on life, death, love and literature. She said: "We all have a story to tell about ourselves, the good, the bad and the how did I end up there? The Bridport Prize memoir award celebrates the life story, a fragment in time or rear view mirror look at what was and now is."

Organisers feel that the way memoirs present real life events is as pertinent ever.

Kate Wilson, Programme Manager said: "The pandemic, war in Ukraine and cost of living crisis has made us all more aware of how fragile life is and how important friends, family and relationships are.

"A memoir weaves people and places into a story we can relate to, a snapshot of life that tells a truth we can benefit from discovering."

Top prize is £1,500, a mentoring package from The Literary Consultancy, consultation with leading London literary agency A.M. Heath, valuable writing advice from John Murray publisher (part of Hachette), an online seminar with Professor Sam North from the University of Exeter’s English department and the opening chapter will be published on the Bridport Prize website.

Runners up will receive £750 plus a mentoring package, with three highly commended entrants winning £150.

The memoir doesn’t have to be finished, the competition initially asks for 5,000 to 8,000 words and a 300 word overview.

This is an international competition open to any nationality writing in English.

On November 28, twelve longlisted titles will be announced, the shortlist will be announced on 25 January in 2023 and the winner will be announced on March 1, 2023.

Find out more at https://bridportprize.org.uk/the-competition/memoir-award/