October 2021 might feel distant to most of us, but to the volunteers on the committee of the Wells Festival of Literature, it's imminent.

Speakers for the October festival are being approached and signed up, judges for the International Competitions have been selected and a new look for the website is being finalised.

The competitions, all four of them, will open on Thursday April 1, running until June 30. They are open both to poets and writers of prose, and there are four categories: Open Poetry will be judged by Owen Sheers, Short Story by Sally Bayley, Book for Children by Joanna Nadin and the Young Poets by Phoebe Stuckes.

Full details of how to enter, plus all the rules and regulations, will be on the festival website HERE, their site

and the prize money once again this year is generous.

First prize in the Open Poetry category is £1,000. The competitions attract a larger number of entrants every year with hopefuls sending in their offerings from all around the globe.

The festival itself is also becoming increasingly international, with the organisers yet again planning a hybrid nine days of live events, streamed events and live-streamed events.

Wells Festival of Literature 2021 is scheduled to be taking place from October 15 to 23.