20th February, 2020
The best competitions for young writers
and why you should enter
Polishing a piece of creative writing is the best way to make it shine, and writing competitions give you the chance to do exactly this. So why not enter one?
The Young Walter Scott Prize, which is open annually from June through October for writers aged 11 to 19, is just one of a great list of opportunities for young writers in the UK. Have a look: you could win travel grants, mentoring and workshops with established authors — even have your story published or read live on radio by a top actor. Here’s our pick of the best competitions – now updated for 2020:
BBC 500 Words – deadline February 2020
One of the best-known writing competitions, 500 Words, is open to young writers living full-time in the UK, in two age categories: 5 to 9 and 10 to 13. Run by the BBC with support from Oxford University Press, the competition offers of plenty of learning resources on its website, plus details of the special prizes on offer, from free books for your school to an original illustration of the winning stories. Winning stories are read live on radio by celebrities in a broadcast from a super special secret location on BBC Radio 2’s Breakfast Show. Find out more at their website. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00rfvk1
Write on Art – deadline March 2020
If you’ve ever been moved by a work of art, then Write on Art is a wonderful opportunity to put your thoughts into words and potentially win the top £500 prize. To enter, you should be aged 15 to 18 and residing in England, Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland and choose one artwork from artuk.org that fascinates you. There are also cash prizes for second place and runners-up. Organised by Art UK and the Paul Mellon Centre, this competition is the perfect opportunity to write about the artwork, the history behind it and why you find it so powerful. For details and guidelines see www.writeonart.org
Wicked Young Writer Awards – deadline March 2020
The annual Wicked Young Writer Awards were created by the producers of WICKED, in partnership with the National Literacy Trust and with the support of Michael Morpurgo and Patron HRH The Duchess of Cornwall. The awards aim to encourage and recognise excellence in writing and creativity, and help develop literacy and writing talent, in young people between ages 5 and 25. Celebrating 10 years of this prestigious competition in 2020, the awards will have as their Head Judge Cressida Cowell, author of How To Train Your Dragon author and current Children’s Laureate. Learn more at the website https://www.wickedyoungwriterawards.com/
BBC Young Writers’ Award with First Story and Cambridge University – deadline March 2020
This writing prize, run by the BBC along with First Story and Cambridge University, could be for you if you’re aged 13 to 18 and live in the UK. Entries are online but you must have a parent or guardian’s permission if you’re under 16. The shortlist of five will have their stories broadcast on the BBC and published in an anthology. Learn more, get writing tips and hear past entries athttps://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/40fWXfKbtBPrZDv9jDKwg32/bbc-young-writers-award-is-back-for-2020
Young Walter Scott Prize – deadline October 2020
The Young Walter Scott Prize is perfect for you, if you enjoy writing about the past – but don’t forget entries for this competition must be made by post, so leaving plenty of time for sending. The Prize is open in two sections, writers aged 11 to 15 and writers 16 to 19, and you must live in the UK. Your work should be at least 800 words and set in a time before you were born, on whatever topic inspires you. It might take the form of a story, an extract from a longer work, diaries, letters, poetry, drama or reportage. Winners receive a £500 travel and research grant and an invitation to the Borders Book Festival in Scotland. Two runners-up in each category receive a £100 book token, and all four winning stories are published in a special YWSP anthology book. A copy of the anthology is available for the cost of postage. The Young Walter Scott Prize competition opens each year in June, and entries must be made by post. See info on the latest winners here https://www.walterscottprize.co.uk/young-walter-scott-prize/
The John Byrne Award – monthly deadline
Another opportunity here for writers both young and old, but you must be living or studying in Scotland and be aged over 16. The John Byrne Award gives three quarterly prizes of £500 throughout the year and one annual prize of £7500. The John Byrne Award was established to facilitate thinking and debate about values, so keep that in mind if you’re submitting. See examples of submitted work and more information at their website and enter online https://www.johnbyrneaward.org.uk/enter-now/
You’ll never know unless you enter, so give it a go! It can feel strange to submit your work, but whether you’ve ambitions to become an author or just enjoy working with words, do give it a try. Why not take a look at our YouTube channel [https://youtu.be/636V_AVfDKc] to meet some past winners and see what they had to say about entering the Young Walter Scott Prize!
The Young Walter Scott Prize is an annual award and the UK’s only creative writing prize dedicated to historical fiction. For more information, subscribe to us on YouTube, or find us Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.