Montegrappa First Fiction Competition returns for third year

Dubai, 01 September, 2014:It is often said that everyone has a story in them. Now is your chance to find out if you are capable of becoming a published author by entering the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature and Montegrappa’s First Fiction Competition.

The Montegrappa First Fiction Competition has launched the writing careers of previous winnersAnnabel Kantaria and Rachel Hamilton, who have secured book deals with international publishers. The competition is open to unpublished writers in the UAE aged 21 and over. All entries are judged by one of London’s top literary agents, Luigi Bonomi, with whom the overall winner will get to meet during a private lunch at the London Book Fair.
Festival Director Isobel Abulhoul said: “It has been amazing to welcome back winners of the Montegrappa First Fiction Competition as international published authors, as a result of this competition. The Festival invites authors from around the world and now is able to showcase home grown authors thanks to this wonderful initiative.”

GiuseppeAquila, CEO of MontegrappaItalia, said of the competition, “Montegrappa, as makers of beautiful writing implements, have an investment in the art of writing. It is a great pleasure to sponsor this competition and help discover the talented writers of the UAE. We have already seen previous winners secure publishing deals and we cannot wait for what 2015 has in store for everyone.”

Registration for entries opens on September 1, 2014 and the deadline is midnight, January 11, 2015. Entrants are required to send in a 400-word synopsis and the first 2000 words of their manuscript via the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature website –http://www.emirateslitfest.com/First-Fiction-2015
The synopsis and manuscript will be judged by literary agent Luigi Bonomi and the overall winner will receive a splendid set of prizes including a trip to the London Book Fair 2015, lunch with Luigi Bonomi at the Fair, a Montegrappa pen and a copy of the current Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook.

Luigi Bonomi is one of the UK’s top literary agents and has launched the careers of many bestselling authors. He is the founder of Luigi Bonomi Associates (LBA), which represents a variety of authors, journalists and writers, including John Humphrys, Esther Rantzen and Alan Titchmarsh. In addition to his day job, he is Honorary Professor of Creative Writing at Aberystwyth University and Literary Consultant for the Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival. In 2010 he won the Bookseller Industry Award for Literary Agent of the Year. 
The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, which is part of the Emirates Literature Foundation, will take place in Dubai from 3 to 7 March 2015 under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and in partnership with Emirates Airline and the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated Authority for culture, arts, and heritage. For more details of the Festival please see www.emirateslitfest.com