THERE are now just under two weeks to go for entrants for the first Jan Fairley Award, sponsored by the Edinburgh branches of the National Union of Journalists and supported by The Scotsman newspaper.

THE DEADLINE IS MIDNIGHT ON SUNDAY 30th NOVEMBER 2014.

Entrants should submit from one to three pieces of between 500 and 1,500 words which have already been published in an edited publication whether online or in print. That could be a student publication, a magazine, an edited wesbsite or a newspaper. The pieces should demonstrate writing about the arts in a way which sets it in a wider social or international context. There is no age restriction but candidates should not have been employed as professional journalists for any longer than five years.

The prize will be a certificate, £300 and a selection from the winning entry will be published in The Scotsman newspaper.

Entries should be sent to us here, headed ‘Jan Fairley Award’. The closing date is 30 November 2014. The judging panel will be chaired by Edinburgh University Tovey Chair of Music Professor Simon Frith and the award ceremony will be held early in 2015.