Foyles

A national writing competition for the over-60s has been launched by the Booktrust.

The organisation, which is behind the massively successful Orange Prize for Fiction, is hoping to capitalise on the success that older writers have been experiencing of late.

Initially, the prize for the Bookbite prize, which is part of the Booktrust's wider initiative of the same name aimed at encouraging over-60s to read, will be GBP 1,000.

However, if the competition proves to be a success then the organisation will seek commercial backers.

Commenting on the new prize, Louise Chadwick, who manages the Bookbite project, told The Times: 'We were always aware at Booktrust of the need to connect with the over-60s, either through reading and writing projects or prizes because there is very little out there at the moment specifically designed to encourage this age group.'

A number of high-profile writers, including Val McDermid, Sir Andrew Motion, Pam Ayres and Mihir Bose have already lent their support to the Bookbite initiative by submitting poems and short stories to the Booktrust website.