What are the key dates for the Pitch Jericho Competition?

• The competition opens for entries on Monday 8 April, 2024.
• The competition closes at 16:00 BST on Friday 3 May, 2024.
• The shortlisted writers will be contacted on Monday 27 May, 2024.
• The live finale will be held at 19:00 BST on Friday 31 May, 2024.

How many writers will make it to the finals?

Fifteen shortlisted writers will read their entries during the online live final in front of a panel of literary agents and our online audience who will vote to crown the winner. During the online live event, we will also announce the longlist of entries who were highly commended but did not quite make the final fifteen.

Will agents be in attendance at the live online final event?

Yes. Three agents will join the panel, although they don’t choose the winner (that’s up to the audience) they will give feedback on each entry! It’s a great chance to get your work heard by industry experts and hear their feedback. Plus, we have had agents request full manuscripts while live on the event if they like what they hear.

I am terrified of speaking on camera, help!

During the Pitch Jericho live online final, we’ll ask the shortlisted writers to read their pitch out in front of a panel of literary agents and audience. However, if this still sounds scary, a member of the Jericho Writers’ team can read your work on your behalf.

I want to enter but can’t afford the entry fee. What can I do?

We try to make everything we do as accessible as possible but totally understand that for some people, paying to enter a competition isn’t financially viable. If this is the case for you, please get in touch via email and we will try our best to make things work. Make sure to allow plenty of time to get in touch with us before the deadline on 29 April 2024.

Author Vikki Patis has kindly sponsored an entry for an underrepresented writer. If that’s you, please head to our sponsored entry page and fill out the application form before we close on Thursday 18 April. We’ll be in touch with everyone who applies by Friday 19 April to let them know if they’ve been successful or not.

Don’t forget, if you are a Premium Member your entry is included in your membership.

Where do I go for more information on accessibility?

We’d love to hear from any writer who is concerned about accessing the Pitch Jericho Competition and will always do our best to help where we can. Contact our team on info@jerichowriters.com.  

How long should my elevator pitch be?

All entries need to be a single line of no more than 50 words. We know crafting an elevator pitch can be tricky. That’s why we’ll be sharing the Writing Your Elevator Pitch masterclass with everyone who purchases an entry. After you’ve made your purchase, the link will be included in your confirmation email. Premium Members can head to Masterclasses and watch it now.

What’s the benefit of joining as Premium Member vs. paying an entry fee?

We think our Premium Membership is the best, so we’re obviously going to tell you to do that over paying an entry fee alone! But either option is a totally viable way to enter the competition and has no impact whatsoever on how your entry will be judged.

That said, Premium Members benefit from so much excellent stuff including heaps of online events, masterclasses, video courses and extra discounts.

If you’re at the stage of querying, Premium Membership is an excellent resource and also includes a free query letter review from our in-house team of experts. We’re also available on the phone and email five days a week to Premium Members to answer any question you have about writing and publishing (super helpful if you need a boost after a rejection, or advice on which agent will love your work). On top of that, Premium Members have exclusive access to AgentMatch – our unique literary agent database to find your perfect agent. You can find more information about Premium Membership here.

I can’t see the answer to my question here. Who do I contact?

Our team is made up of writers and readers who are passionate about the written word. If you have a question, pop it over to us at info@jerichowriters.com and we’ll be happy to help.