She took the bowl and filled it full of hot rice. ‘But my yogi is not a cow,’ said Kim gravely, making a hole with his fingers on the top of the mound. ‘A little curry is good, and a fried cake, and a morsel of conserve would please him, I think.’
(Kim)
The velvety, perfumed liquor, neither too sweet nor too dry, creamed in its generous glass. But I knew no wine composed of the whispers of angels’ wings, the breath of Eden and the foam and pulse of Youth renewed. So I asked what it might be. ‘It is champagne,’ he said gravely. ‘Then what have I been drinking all my life?’
(The Bull That Thought)
Rudyard Kipling wrote often about the pleasures (and occasional dangers) of sharing food and drink in all ranks and races, from the boy Kim enjoying Indian street food with the holy man he befriends to a wealthy Frenchman pouring out miraculous champagne. The Kipling Society invites competitors to submit stories of up to 2500 words on any aspect of food or drink. The stories should be connected, whether directly or obliquely, with the writings and/or life of Kipling. The entry fee is £8.
First Prize £350, Second prize £100, Third Prize £50
This Writing Competition is funded by the generosity of the late John McGivering.
The Kipling Society also invites Younger Writers aged between 12 and 17 years to submit stories of up to 2000 words about food or drink, which should likewise be connected with the writings and/or life of Kipling. The entry fee for the Younger Writers’ Competition is £5. First Prize £75, Runner-up £25.
Judges: Jan Montefiore, Mary Hamer, Sarah LeFanu
Conditions
1. Entries from adults must be a maximum of 2500 words excluding the title. Entries from Younger Writers must be a maximum of 2000 words. There is no minimum length.
2. Entries must be original. Plagiarism will not be accepted. The story must not have been published previously, either in print, or online, or in any other media.
3. Competitors give their permission for the winning entries to be published in the Kipling Journal, and subsequently on the Kipling Society’s website.
4. Entries must be submitted as Word attachments to emails addressed to kswritingprize@gmail.com. They must be unsigned, but must have on their title line the writer’s initials in reverse order. These reversed order initials must appear in the accompanying email, together with the writer’s name and contact detail: email, telephone number, and postal address, including postcode or Zip code.
5. For entrants to the competition for younger writers, confirmation of their age by a parent, guardian or teacher is required.
6. Entry Fees are to be paid using the PayPal button below. If a different e-mail address is used to make the payment than to submit the entry, please tell us in your entry e-mail the address used to make the payment.
7. The competition opens for entries on 1 July 2024, and will close on 1 September 2024 at 11.59 pm, BST.