Creative Writing Competition for Children

We are thrilled to announce our 7th annual Creative Writing Competition for children!

This year, we are running the competition in partnership with the National Year of Reading.

Creative Writing Competition Challenge: ‘Stories That Made Us Readers’

Write a brand-new story inspired by your favourite book!

To celebrate the National Year of Reading 2026, Bright Light Education invites young writers to take part in our special Creative Writing Competition: Stories That Made Us Readers.

This year, we want children to think about the books that sparked their imagination, made them fall in love with reading, or opened the door to new worlds, and then write an original story inspired by one of them.

Your child’s entry should not copy the original, but it can be based on its themes, settings, characters, or ideas. For example:

Write a magical adventure in the style of Harry Potter, set in a mysterious school of your own invention.
Create a thrilling snowy quest inspired by Pugs of the Frozen North, inventing your own team of quirky animals racing across an icy landscape.
Write a farmyard tale in the spirit of Charlotte’s Web, featuring unlikely friendships or a courageous hero animal.
Imagine an emotional adventure inspired by The Last Bear, telling a story about bravery, nature, or helping an animal in need.
Dream up a fantastical quest inspired by Narnia, where your characters step into a world you’ve created.
Or take inspiration from Matilda, Percy Jackson, The Worst Witch, The BFG, How to Train Your Dragon – whatever book made you a reader!

The key goal:

Celebrate the joy of reading by writing a completely new story inspired by the book you love most.

Enter the Creative Writing Competition

Competition Overview:

Present your story handwritten and as neatly as possible on an A4 piece of paper – add illustrations around your writing if you can! Your story must be no longer than one A4 page (about 300 words).

The competition is open to all children from ages 7-13 (Years 3-8). All children around the world can enter, but entries must be written in English. Note that we do not accept typed stories (unless for specific circumstances) to reduce the risk of AI entries.

Competition Categories:

Group 1: 7-9 year olds (Years 3 and 4)
Group 2: 9-11 year olds (Years 5 and 6)
Group 3: 11-13 year olds (Years 7 and 8)

Certificates and Prizes:

A children’s author will read the winning poems, which we will share on our YouTube channel!
Gold, Silver or Bronze certificates will be awarded to all children who enter the competition (following the task).
Book vouchers will be awarded to the winner from each age group.

How to Enter:

Please enter via the relevant link below.
We welcome entries by schools! Contact us if you need to enter in bulk.
The competition is open from February 1st 2026.
The deadline is February 28th 2026.
Winners will be announced March 16th 2026.

Terms and Conditions:

By entering the competition, you are agreeing to the following T&Cs:

The entry must be a fictional story based on the task.
It must be an original piece of work written independently by the child.
The child must not include their personal details within their story.
Entries must not include unsuitable material; entries must be suitable for a child audience.
The use of AI is strictly prohibited.