Nez, both those thoughts crossed my mind. I do know some wholly legitimate people are involved in the judging but the sifting process seems unorthodox. Which isn't to say it's dodgy. Just different.

A very courageous Litopian has written to Zara to tell her what's going on and to ask for clarification.
I find it so strange that the whole thing began with such a bang (they even got the political leaders to make statements of support) and designed that huge website - they keep telling us to refer to it for the 'latest news' - but no latest news (apart from the fact that they've got more tickets) is being announced.
Susiex

I don't know any more about it than anyone else, except that they were completely swamped with entries, and had to put the prize ceremony back to allow for the judging process. I suspect that they hadn't the first idea how much work would be involved in judging writing or, for example, what the consequences in numbers would be of allowing unlimited entries.

Emma

Sounds like you're right Emma, though all they had to do was ask someone who's run a comp before. It was madness to offer unlimited entries for a single fee. Most writers will be judicious but some will sling in every shopping list they ever scribbled.

Personally, I sent them 46,179 stories and 2,354 poems and 43 novels.

That's a lie. There were 21,000 entries and 20,987 of them were mine.

This is what the Awards organisers posted on facebook today after seeing people's speculations:

Brit Writers' Awards: Good morning! Just to clarify a few things... Even though we have reached round three, we still have over 1500 entries in the competition. For obvious reasons, the people rejected during the first stages of judging were the less experienced writers. If they didn't get through, then they will not have received an email. The higher levels of judging has now started and clearly 99% of you will be rejected before June. Congratualtions those of you that got through the third round - considering there were 21,000 entries to begin with, you have done extremely well. You may receive general e-updates between now and June and some people may be asked specific questions or for full manuscripts if they are shortlisted. In teh meantime, on behalf of us all at Brit Writers, best of luck and keep scribbling!

It still seems very weird that we cannot find ONE persone who didn't get through! There should be around 19,500 of them around. Where are they hiding?

Unless

we still have over 1500 entries in the competition

is to be taken as a gross understatement?!

<Added>

Actually there seems to be a few people who didn't get through coming out now, but nowhere near 19,500

If the people who didn't get through only know that by not being told anything, then it'll be longer before they begin to realise, let alone talk about it.

Emma

True enough, Emma.

What does seem weird is the the fact that there is quite a large group of people on facebook who were chatting before the results and getting friendly, and every single one of them now seems to be through. Amazing coincidence, perhaps.

For some reason, I also find the statement

For obvious reasons, the people rejected during the first stages of judging were the less experienced writers

a bit odd.

How do they know that?

It seems to me many of the successful facebook gang are 'less experienced'. Some of them are 17.

Anyway, it's still a great idea to organise something on this scale. It really raises the profile of writing. I hope they run it every year.

Er. 'asked for full manuscripts if they submitted'???
There was never any mention of this in the entry rules. It just said to send the first 10,000 words of the novel, so I sent my WIP (having written 30,000 words).
Argh.
Susiex

It seems to me many of the successful facebook gang are 'less experienced'. Some of them are 17.

Nezelette, 'less experienced' is a kindly euphemism for bad: it implies that they'll be able to get better. Some really are new to the game. Some will never be any good.

Emma

<Added>

Sorry, realise that might sound ambiguous. 'Bad' can simply mean 'not yet good' - in which case 'less experienced' is a perfectly fair way to describe them.

Susie, that's a pain about your WIP. If the rules didn't specify that you had to have a finished novel at home, then it seems a bit late to change it now...

Emma, I understand what they mean but I'm just not sure how they know whether people are just plain bad despite years of trying, or bad because they are inexperienced. If I were older and had been writing for years, and were now told that the less experienced writers were eliminated first, I'd be furious!

Mind you, I'd be even more livid if they said 'bad', so I guess they've got a point...

Mind you, I'd be even more livid if they said 'bad', so I guess they've got a point...

Exactly. Can you imagine the furore if they said, 'We've eliminated the ones who weren't good enough...'

Mind you, I actually don't think it's incumbent on competition organisers to put being tender to competitor's feelings above all other considerations. I've seen howls of outrage go up, because a judge said, 'Most of the entries were very bad,', but if that's the judge's honestly held opinion, why shouldn't they? A judge isn't a teacher.

I'm just not sure how they know whether people are just plain bad despite years of trying, or bad because they are inexperienced. If I were older and had been writing for years, and were now told that the less experienced writers were eliminated first, I'd be furious!

It is possible to write for years, and not have learnt anything. That's not inexperienced in terms of never having picked up a pen till yesterday, but although 'experienced' technically should only mean you have undergone various experiences, the inference is usually that you've learnt from them. Someone who's been writing for years and is still writing no better than a beginner, has failed to learn from their experience.

Emma

I guess I come from a philosophical background, where words tend to mean exactly what they mean and we don't tend to be too keen on inferences and connotations and euphemisms!

(Emma, talking about philosophy, I've just written an article entitled 'What would Darwin make of Facebook?' for a French academic journal. I thought about you!)

Susie, did you get the email confirming that there are around 1500 entries left in the competition?

I did, Nez. Though they emailed a friend and told her there were 1000 a while back...
As a Litopian said - it's not that we think it's a scam (I don't): it's that we thought we'd achieved something and now discover that, actually, we haven't. That they say that the (was it 'high-level'?) judging panel will now begin the process of finding the finalists makes me wonder who actually did the preliminary sifting.
Susiex