A few words of enlightenment...
Diamond Light Source is the UK national synchrotron facility – a 562m particle accelerator nestled in the Oxfordshire countryside. Diamond generates incredibly bright light from infra-red to X-rays and is used by thousands of scientists every year to study all kinds of materials, from artificial hips and samples of the Mary Rose to virus proteins and potential new fuel sources.
To introduce Diamond to a wider audience we are running a short story competition, Light Reading. The rules are simple: we’re inviting you to submit a story of up to 3,000 words inspired by Diamond – the facility, the science and the people. There’s also a Flash Fiction prize for stories under 300 words. Stories can be in any genre and there is no minimum word limit. Diamond will shortlist the best of these stories, which will then be judged by an expert panel. The top three writers will receive a cash prize, and these, along with those highly commended by the judges, will be published in an anthology of short stories.
The deadline for the competition has now passed. Winners will be announced here early in the New Year. Watch this space, or follow us on Twitter for the latest info!
Flash Fiction.
Voting for Flash Fiction stories is now closed! Read the entries here.
Staff Competition.
Diamond staff were invited to write a story, up to 3,000 words, in any genre, inspired in some way by the synchrotron. The entries were judged by local sci-fi author Ben Jeapes and Abingdon's Mostly Books, who selected a winner and a runner-up from the submissions.Read these stories below.
Winner: Ozymandias Awakes, Matt Maddock, RF Technician
Runner-up: Bunny and Young Crow, Linda Pratt, Software Systems Engineer
