Wilson's Tales of the Borders 100 words international competition opens

The contest was devised by members of the Wilson’s Tales of the Borders Project and runs annually. Submissions are open to everyone, with judges looking for a Tale ‘such as Wilson may have published’, but it may be contemporary so things like cars, mobile phones and social media can be mentioned.

An entry must be exactly 100 words in length and it can cover one or more of all manner of subjects, with this year’s deadline for submission being Saturday, August 31.

The winner will be announced at the JM Wilson Memorial Literary Dinner in early October, the 188th anniversary of his death, and they will receive a prize of £50.

John Mackay Wilson was editor of the Berwick Advertiser when he began publishing local stories in 1832 and by 1834, he published the first collection as Wilson’s Tales of the Borders, and of Scotland.

The venture’s phenomenal success was said to be a likely factor in his early death in 1835, but the weekly Tales were continued by his widow with new editors for a further five years.

Project director Andrew Ayre said: “We are consistently amazed by the variety of entries we receive and the ever higher standards of these tiny Tales.

“We are looking forward to this year’s competition being even more successful.”

Full details, and previous winning and other entries, can be found online at www.wilsonstales.co.uk/100words