One of the UK’s most popular writing competition for children now accepting entries
BBC 500 Words, which is supported by BBC Teach, encourages children of all abilities to dive deep into their imagination and write the story they would love to read. Submissions must have 500 words or less, and kids don’t have to fear of spelling, grammar or punctuation errors. The annual competition is open to ages 5-7 years and 8-11 years.
“The thing I most love about 500 Words is how unpredictable it is. When I open the envelope of stories I never know whether I’m going to laugh, cry or shiver with horror. The best feeling is when a child has put something of themselves into the story. Then it’s like meeting a new person,” says Children’s Laureate and 500 Words judge Frank Cottrell-Boyce.
Once again, the competition has been given the support of Her Majesty The Queen. This year’s winners will have the chance to meet The Queen, with the grand final taking place at Buckingham Palace in February 2025.
BBC 500 Words competition prizes
Every finalist receives a £20 National Book Token and their stories will be recorded by the BBC Radio Drama Company.
50 finalists, along with their parents or carers will be invited to a star-studded final in February 2025 at Buckingham Palace where the top six stories (bronze, silver and gold in each category) are be read out by celebrities. The event will be shown as part of a special 500 Words programme with The One Show (BBC One, 7pm) on World Book Day, Thursday 6 March 2025.
The two gold winners receive not only the height of 500 Words judge, Sir Lenny Henry, in books, but 500 books for their schools.
The winning stories will be illustrated by children’s illustrators, framed, and put into a 500 Words winners’ book. The illustrators, co-ordinated by Anderson Press, are Momoko Abe, Dapo Adeola, Rob Biddulph, Yasmeen Ismail, Lydia Monks and Nigel Parkinson.
How to enter the BBC 500 Words competition
To enter the competition enter BBC 500 Words, all stories need to be typed and submitted by an adult by 9pm on Friday 8 November, 2024.
To celebrate the launch, and help children get started with creative ideas for their stories, a star-studded 500 Words Live Lesson will be available to watch at 11am on Wednesday 25 September on the BBC Teach website and CBBC.
In addition, a special series of school visits are set to take place across the UK to encourage entries from young creative minds, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
