Story competition for children during coronavirus lockdown

The competition will be judged by Waterstones’ Children’s Laureate Cressida Cowell, the author-illustrator of How to Train Your Dragon and The Wizards of Once series.

Those aged seven to 11 -years- old are invited to make their UK lockdown creative and inspire Cowell with 750 words set in Yorkshire.

To mark their 10th year, Settle Stories are rebranding the Settle Stories Festival to Yorkshire Festival of Story.

The event celebrates the best storytellers from across the region and the UK.

Now, Cowell and festival organisers are keen to hear from the next generation of storytellers.

Free online resources available for download via the Settle Stories website will help parents entertain and educate children during the lockdown.

The competition is free to enter and open to individuals and schools.

Children may want to use inspiration from the UK’s current circumstances, or may wish to create something entirely different altogether, the only criteria is that the story is 750 words set in Yorkshire.

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

Teachers are able to submit multiple pupils entries at once following the guidelines online.

The winner and runners up will receive a personalised response from Cressida Cowell for their story.

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.

Winning stories will be performed by a storyteller as part of Yorkshire Festival of Story.

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

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

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