Writers, get your skates on – there's just weeks left to enter this year's Wells Festival of Literature competitions, with £5,000 in prize money up for grabs and a top award of £1,000 for the Open Poetry winner.

Entries have already been pouring in from across the globe since the contests opened in April, but organisers have now issued a final call for poets, storytellers, and children's authors to get their work in before the 30 June deadline.

Locally, the Wells U3A creative writing group are putting the final polish on their prose, while young wordsmiths from schools and colleges are battling it out in the Young Poets category – which last year saw a winning ode to the dent in a sofa cushion.

There are four categories to choose from: Open Poetry, Short Story, Book for Children, and Young Poets – with each one judged by an established author.

Shortlists will be revealed by 30 September, and the winners will be announced in a live prize-giving event and poetry reading at Cedars Hall on Monday 20 October.

Organisers say it's not just about the money – recognition from the Festival could be the start of something bigger, including the chance to become a published author.

Full rules, entry fees and details on how to enter are available on the Festival website: www.wellsfestivalofliterature.org.uk