Housebuilder Launches Writing Contest to Mark 250 Years Since Jane Austen’s Birth  

UK HOUSEBUILDER Pye Homes is hosting a virtual writing contest to commemorate the 250^th anniversary of the birth of celebrated author Jane Austen.

The writing contest officially opens today, Monday 20 October, on Pye Homes’ social media channels. It welcomes aspiring authors and inspired writers to enter their own short story, which must take inspiration from Pye Homes’ newest development at Welborne Garden Village in Hampshire – the county which is home to Jane Austen’s birthplace.

How to Enter

Pye Homes will provide entrants with a brief for their short story, which will instruct them to create a fictional story about their first day in a new Welborne home, while cleverly implementing some of the Welborne development’s icons which include a fern leaf, bumblebee, butterfly, and bluebell.

Writers interested in entering the competition can submit their short story to the following email address: competition@pyehomes.co.uk.

Participants have until Monday 17 November to submit their short stories to one of two categories:

• ‘Jane’s Juniors’ for younger entrants, under 16’s (500-750 words)
• or ‘Austen’s Apprentices’ for more mature writers, 16 and over (750-1000 words).

Competition Prizes

The winner of the junior category will win the newly-released Jane Austen book from independent publisher, Summersdale; a signed copy of a Cerrie Burnell children’s book; a Wordsmith Mug from independently-run The Literary Gift Shop; and a £50 Waterstone’s voucher.

The winner of the adult category will also win a Jane Austen book from Summersdale; a £50 Waterstone’s voucher; as well as tickets to visit and explore the famous author’s brother’s Chawton House in Hampshire.

The winners will be announced on Monday 24 November via social media.

With experience in writing, editing and publishing, the two winning stories will be decided by Chris Mounsey, author and English Literature Professor at University of Winchester, and Spencer Green, librarian, author, and illustrator with over 25 years’ experience across teaching and school libraries at Fareham, Hampshire’s Boundary Oak School.

Due to its shared geographic heritage in Hampshire, the new Welborne development, just north of Fareham, has dedicated many of its home types to Jane Austen’s most popular characters, including George Wickham and Colonel Fitzwilliam from Pride and Prejudice, with more to come in the development’s next phase.

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