Dear Parents and Carers,
We would love to encourage our budding Newdale authors to enter BBC 500 Words, the UK’s biggest children’s story-writing competition!
The competition is open to children aged 5–11, who are invited to write an original story in 500 words or fewer. From magical adventures to mysterious discoveries, children can let their imaginations lead the way!
Spelling, punctuation and grammar are not marked – the focus is on creativity and imagination, making this a wonderful opportunity for children of all abilities to get involved.
There are exciting prizes to be won, including National Book Tokens worth up to £75, a framed illustration of the winning stories and publication in a special winners’ book. Winning stories will also be read by celebrities on the BBC!
Entries close at 9pm on Friday 6 November 2026.
Visit bbc.co.uk/500words for the rules, writing inspiration and details of how to enter. Look out for our posters around school too!
Please also send a copy of your child’s story to their year group email address so that we can celebrate our young writers in school. Remember that sharing a story with school does not enter it into the competition – it must also be submitted through the BBC website.
We can’t wait to see where Newdale’s imagination takes us!
Best of luck,
Miss Curtis