Wicked Young Writer Awards 2019

Calling young budding writers! Enter Wicked Young Writer Awards! Closing date 18 March 2019.

Wicked, the award-winning West End musical that tells the untold story of the witches of Oz, together with the National Literacy Trust, celebrates its ninth year of the prestigious Wicked Young Writer Awards.

As in previous years, entrants can enter one of five different age categories; 5-7, 8-10, 11-14, 15-17, 18-25. In addition, the 2019 Awards see the fourth year of the For Good Award for Non-Fiction, encouraging 15-25 year olds to write essays or articles that recognise the positive impact that people can have on each other, their communities and the world we live in. The Wicked for Good programme supports the charitable causes at the heart of the stage musical. There is a 750-word limit (not including the title words) on any theme.

In the fiction categories, any creative writing will be accepted, a story, play or poem, it can be something written at school or home that has not be entered into a competition before. If you prefer to write non-fiction, you may like to enter the Wicked: For Good Award for Non-Fiction and write an article, essay, biography, review or letter, to name a few!

A shortlist of 120 entrants from across the UK will see their work published in the Wicked Young Writers Awards anthology. They are also invited to an exclusive ceremony at London’s Apollo Victoria, home to the hit musical since 2006, where judges and members of the Wicked cast will read the winning stories and poems and announce who has won in each category. For T&C’s and full prize fund structure please see Wicked Young Writer Awards website. www.wickedyoungwriterawards.com

Here are the rules:

• Entrants must be aged between 5-25 years old when entering the Wicked Young Writer Awards
• Entries can be hand-written or typed
• Writing must be original and your own ideas
• Judges criteria: originality, narrative, descriptive language, characterisation.
• Ensure that all students include their name, surname and age on the entry form
• Open to UK residents only

All winners:

• Win four tickets to see the London production of Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre.
• Meet cast members after the show along with an exclusive backstage tour.
• £50 worth of books/eBooks tokens to spend.

Other prizes for each category:

5-7 also win:

• A creative writing workshop for your class
• £100 worth of books for the winners’ school library donated by Hachette Children’s Group

8-10 and 11-14 also win:

• An annual subscription to First News
• £100 worth of books for the winners’ school library donated by Hachette Children’s Group.

15-17 also win: 

• A writing masterclass with a professional author

18-25 also win:

• A self-publishing package from Spiderwize, to publish your very own work.

FOR GOOD: Award for Non-Fiction also win:

• Work experience at First News newspaper, shadowing the editor Nicky Cox, MBE.
• The 3 schools that submit the most entries also win a creative writing workshop.
• All finalists’ entries get printed in the Wicked Young Writer Awards anthology.