WRITERS have until the end of the month to submit their work in the Jane Austen 200 short story and letter-writing competitions.

Run by Hampshire Cultural Trust in partnership with Jane Austen’s House Museum, the letter-writing competition is open to young writers across Hampshire in two age categories: 7-11 and 12-16.

The challenge is to write about “a day in your life, real or imagined, humorous or adventurous”. The letter should be addressed to ‘Dear Friend’ and contain a maximum of 400 words.

The judges will be Hampshire writers Ali Sparkes and Angela McAllister, and there will be a first prize of a £50 National Book Token and a second prize token of £25.

The short story competition has a wider remit, being open to writers aged 16 and over from around the world, with a top prize of £1,000 and £500 to the runner-up.

Taking this quotation – “Selfishness must always be forgiven you know, because there is no hope of a cure” – from Jane Austen’s ‘Mansfield Park’ as the story title, writers are encouraged to respond in up to 2017 words.

The judges are award-winning short story writers David Constantine and Claire Fuller.

The closing date for both competitions is next Tuesday, February 28. For more details, visit janeausten200.co.uk/competitions.