Entry Details
Who can enter
The competition is open to all young people in year 9 to year 13 living or being educated in the UK.
What to write
You are asked to submit a short memoir of about 800 words or 5 minutes of audio. It will be an account of a real life experience but one that you have crafted for an audience to read or listen to. We ALL have a story to tell; sometimes these stories are about challenging and dramatic things that have happened to us but, don’t forget that stories that are about smaller seemingly insignificant events can also be important to us and occasionally even define who we are. Our competition is called ‘write well’ because we believe that writing is good for our wellbeing. We want everyone to know that their stories matter. It is for that reason that we aim to make it as easy as possible for you to share your story. You may therefore submit either a written piece or an audio file. You are not being judged for your spelling or punctuation. If you find that there are barriers to your entry that we might be able to help.
How long should my entry be?
Your entry needs to be 800 words or less or a spoken word audio file of under 5 minutes.
Can I have help with my entry?
Your entry should be entirely your own work but it is fine to ask for help if you need support with the technology for recording or submitting your work.
How to enter
We hope that you will enjoy preparing your entry over the competition period from September to January; really meaningful reflective writing often takes some time. There will be new support materials and updates appearing on our website every couple of weeks and hopefully the opportunity to take part in an online webinar.
When you feel ready to submit your writing/audio you or your teacher should upload it using the cognito form here.
When to enter
Entries may be submitted at anytime after the competition has opened in September although we hope you will be keen to take advantage of the support materials and spend time crafting your writing. The deadline for entries is midnight on Monday 15th January 2024.
The Prizes (more details available shortly)
Winners in both age groups (years 11-13 and years 9-10) will be offered the chance to attend a writing course with the possibility of an internship as a 'writer in residence' with a publishing company.
Runners up will receive writing hampers filler with goodies to support their development as a writer.
Supporting your wellbeing
Sometimes writing about things that are important to us can lead us to difficult memories and emotional triggers. We really want you to be safe and to feel supported through this process so we are asking that all entrants include details of an adult who knows you are entering the competition; this is likely to be a teacher, parent or guardian. If at any point during the process you feel you need support with your wellbeing then this link should take you to some guidance on what to do and where you might seek help.
