THE number of entries for a short story competition launched in the region has soared past 200 as the deadline approaches.

Writers wishing to send their work in for The Short Story Competition now have just a week to do so.

The competition was launched in January, organised by Darlington-based Inscribe Media Ltd, backed by The Northern Echo, Orange and Darlington Arts Centre. In addition to the £300 first prize, the winner will receive a two-night trip to the presentation of the Orange Prize for Fiction, in London, on June 8.

Writers from across the UK have sent in 210 stories. There have also been entries from as far as India, the US and Sri Lanka.

John Dean, a director of Inscribe Media, said: "The competition really has captured writers' imagination. The idea was to give talented new writers the chance to show the quality of their work and it is certainly doing that."

Designed for writers aged 17 or over, the competition is free and has a closing date of March 31. The theme is communication and the maximum length of stories is 3,000 words.

Full details of rules and conditions are available on The Northern Echo website at www. the shortstory.co.uk. Writers can also send a stamped addressed envelope to John Dean, care of The Northern Echo Newsdesk, PO Box 14, Darlington, County Durham, DL1 1NF.