Children's story competition launched to find best tales set in Yorkshire

A free children's story competition has been launched to find the best stories set in Yorkshire.
The winner will receive a personalised response from Cressida Cowell, the author-illustrator ofHow to Train Your Dragon and The Wizards of Once series.The winner will receive a personalised response from Cressida Cowell, the author-illustrator ofHow to Train Your Dragon and The Wizards of Once series.
The winner will receive a personalised response from Cressida Cowell, the author-illustrator ofHow to Train Your Dragon and The Wizards of Once series.

It has been launched by arts charity, Settle Stories, who are hoping the competition will help parents to entertain and educate their children during the UK lockdown.

The competition is free to enter and open to children aged 7 to 11.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The only rules are that the stories must be 750 words and set in Yorkshire.

Entries are encouraged to be "unique, exciting, and imaginative."

The winner will have their story performed by a storyteller as part of the Yorkshire Festival of Story 2020.

They will also win a personalised response from Cressida Cowell, the author-illustrator of How to Train Your Dragon and The Wizards of Once series.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The winner will also be awarded a storyteller visit to their school, signed copies of The Wizards of Once series and the first How to Train Your Dragon book and a signed print from Cowell.

Second place and four runners-up will receive a range of fantastic prizes.

Cressida Cowell, festival judge said: ‘When people ask me about creative writing tips, I always say enter competitions, because they make you write something for a deadline, which is an important skill.

"It also stops you from worrying about making a piece of writing perfect (because perfect is actually impossible).

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"I entered a competition when I was about 10, which I won, and this gave me confidence.

"Many years later I met my first editor through a prize I entered. I’m very much looking forward to seeing the Yorkshire Festival of Story entries. Writing is magic and magic is for everyone."

Joanne Harris (MBE), Festival Guest Director, commented on the competition: "I am so excited to see the responses of children to our competition.

"With 750 words to play with, the possibilities are endless. I love that we're using Yorkshire as the backdrop to our competition.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"What will happen here in these stories? I can't wait for the big reveal."

Free online resources available for download via the Settle Stories website.

Entries to the competition must be from children aged 7 - 11 years old living in the UK.

The deadline for entries is 6pm on May 22.

Visit www.settlestories.org.uk/whats_on/childrens_story_competition/ or contact [email protected] / 05603 845693 for more information.

Related topics: