Cottrell-Boyce, Frank Francesca Simon Charlie Higson Malorie Blackman
With the support of the Queen Consort, BBC Breakfast is thrilled to relaunch the popular children’s writing competition 500 Words in September. Chris Evans introduced the competition for the first time on his Radio 2 morning show in 2011, and Zoe Ball continued it until 2020, when it was unfortunately discontinued.
Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s chief content officer, stated, “It’s fantastic that the Queen Consort will support the competition, and we hope that teachers and librarians across the United Kingdom will take advantage of this opportunity to find the writers of tomorrow.” Jon Kay, presenter of BBC Breakfast, added, “We are delighted to be supporting 500 Words and look forward to the undoubtedly outstanding submissions from talented, aspiring young writers across the country.”
World Book Day ambassador Sir Lenny Henry, who will also read a CBeebies Bedtime Story for the occasion, as well as best-selling authors Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Francesca Simon, Charlie Higson, and the former children’s laureate Malorie Blackman, will serve on the judging panel for this edition of the competition. The grand final, which will feature the top 50 stories from two age categories, will be held on World Book Day 2024 at one of the previous venues, such as Windsor Castle, Hampton Court, or the Tower of London.
The winning stories will be read by celebrities, including Dua Lipa, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Jodie Whittaker in the past. Teachers, librarians, and aspiring young writers from across the United Kingdom are invited to participate in this opportunity to discover a variety of imaginative young authors. For further details, please visit BBC Teach.
This September sees the return of 500 Words, a children’s creative writing competition hosted by BBC Breakfast. Since its inception in 2011 by Chris Evans and subsequent continuation through 2020 by Zoe Ball, children have written over one million stories totaling over 440 million words. This year’s judges include World Book Day ambassador Sir Lenny Henry, who will also read a CBeebies Bedtime Story for the event, along with best-selling authors Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Francesca Simon, Charlie Higson, and former children’s laureate Malorie Blackman.
The winning stories will be read by celebrities such as Dua Lipa, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Jodie Whittaker at the World Book Day 2024 grand final, which will be held at Windsor Castle, Hampton Court, or the Tower of London. Camilla, Queen Consort, has offered her support for the competition, which will feature the 50 best submissions from two different age categories: children aged 5 to 7 and 8 to 11.
BBC Breakfast presenter Jon Kay said: “We are delighted to be championing 500 Words and look forward to the no doubt stellar entries from talented, aspiring young writers up and down the country that are sure to follow in due course.” Teachers and librarians across the UK are invited to join in this chance to help find the writers of tomorrow. With more information available on BBC Teach, this could be a fantastic opportunity for imaginative young authors to shine.
