What is 500 Words and how do you enter?
500 Words is a BBC story writing competition for children.
This year the two age categories will be 5-7 and 8-11. To enter, children need to write an original story that they would want to read which is no more than 500 words.
Children need to be the relevant age for the age category on the closing date 10 November 2023 and be living in the UK.
The stories, once written by the children, must be submitted by an adult using the entry form on the 500 Words website. The entry form will be available when the competition opens on Tuesday 26 September 2023.
When is the competition open?
The competition will open at 8am Tuesday 26 September and close at 8pm on Friday November 10 2023. The Grand Final will be in early March (date and location tbc) which will be shown on a special 500 Words programme on BBC 1 on World Book Day – Thursday 7 March 2024.
Does the story have to be original?
The story has to be a child’s original work - they must not copy someone else's story. Any entry deemed to be a copy by our judges will be disqualified.
The story must be an original piece of fiction and not an account of real events – either historical or current.
However, the stories can:
- Feature well known public figures from today or from history (e.g. Harry Kane or Neil Armstrong)
- Take place in historical eras (e.g. Roman Britain)
- Use real life experiences as a creative springboard as long as the story is fictional
Is there a minimum word limit?
Stories must be 500 words or under. There is no lower limit.
How to enter:
Once the competition opens in September the stories need to be typed and submitted, by an adult, here on 500 Words. The child and their parent/guardian need to have given their permission.
The children need to be living in the UK and the correct age for the relevant category on Friday 10 November when the competition closes.
We want to make it as easy as possible to submit 500 Word stories so in September we will have more hints and tips on submissions, particularly for schools.
We will blog again in September but thought some children would like to get started on their stories!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/500-words
