500 WORDS 2014

500wordsBBC Radio Two’s annual short story competition for kids, 500 WORDS, is open for submissions again, and, although not eligible to take part, I’m pretty excited about the contest this year!

I listen to Chris Evans’s Breakfast Show on weekday mornings, so last year I caught the hype about 500 WORDS 2013, and read the winning stories on Radio 2’s website. The entries were carefully crafted narratives with moving, surprising and sometimes shocking subjects. I honestly wouldn’t have guessed that such hard-hitting and astutely perceptive stories were written by children aged 13 and under.

The top 50 stories from previous years have since been turned into audio clips read by BBC Radio Drama Company and are well worth a listen!

There are loads of fantastic resources to inspire this year’s young writers on BBC Radio Two’s website and the opportunity to become a judge if you’re a teacher or librarian (or retired teacher or librarian). I wish I was eligible as an English graduate!