Dr Simon Berry Fiction Writing Awards

CityU English Dr Simon Berry Award

Aims

Dr. Simon Berry Fiction Writing Award is sponsored by Dr. Simon Berry. It is an annual fiction writing contest that serves as a platform for undergraduate students who major in English to express creatively through writing fiction in English. It also aims to stimulate the writing potential of our undergraduates. 

Objectives

  • To develop undergraduates’ creativity and writing abilities

  • To enhance undergraduates’ awareness and appreciation of prose

Regulations

The following regulations shall apply as of 2023/24:

  1. The award shall be known as “Dr. Simon Berry Fiction Writing Awards”.
  2. There shall be one award winner chosen each year from students eligible under regulation 3. The winner will receive HK$5,000 as a reward.

  3. Applicants for the Award must:
    • Be local residents of Hong Kong
    • Students who
      (i) are in the BAELST/BAEN program or
      (ii) are enrolled in or have completed a course in creative writing at City University in the current academic year
    • Demonstrate superior creative writing ability as evidenced through the submission of one prose work
    • Demonstrate superior spoken English as evidenced in an interview
  4. Conditions of the Award:
    • The award will be offered in the form of cash payments. 
    • Award winners must maintain a CGPA of a least 3.0 and must comply with all regulations of the university.
    • Winners will assist in activities (such as fiction/poetry readings, writing workshops) designed to enhance the learning culture in the Department and in fostering a creative English environment.
  5. Application Procedure:
    • Applicants must submit their application form and one piece of fiction writing, by email at english@cityu.edu.hk by January 31, 2024.
    • Prose will be screened and judged by our Creative Writing Course faculty in the preliminary judging stage. 
    • Finalists will undergo an interview to determine the extent to which their spoken English is reflective of the quality of their prose. One winner will be chosen from among the finalists. Finalists will be judged by The Department Head.

Download application form here