This year, we’re letting you roam through the entirety of prose fiction, to choose an excerpt from any fiction book originally written in the English language.

Your excerpt should last 3 minutes, including an introduction at the start of your time, which should last no more than 30 seconds. This introduction should help set the scene for members of the audience who aren’t familar with the novel, and don’t know what’s already happened. Your actual selection should include both narrative and dialogue. Choose a novel that you have read in full, and that you really enjoy. It’s better to share part of a book that you really enjoy than one which you find boring or don’t really understand!

A copy of the section you will be reading must be sent to us at entries@oratoryfestival.com by 30 April 2023.