About the Award
THE COMPETITION FOR 2020 HAS NOW CLOSED.
Please return here to find out if you’re a finalist in early May 2020
You can write about absolutely anything for this writing competition.
Write a story, poem, article, song lyrics, letter or diary on any topic or theme of your choice.
There are 6 different age categories:
5-7 years • 8-10 years • 11-14 years
15-17 years old • 18-25 years old
11-25 years old For Good Award for Non-Fiction’
IMPORTANT DATES
Deadline: Monday 2nd March 2020
Finalists contacted by email: week commencing 4th May 2020
Keep your eyes peeled on the website and if you are one of our 120 finalists you will be contacted through the email address you provided on your submission form.
Good luck!
RULES
- 750-word limit (not including the title words)
- 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
- No previously published worked will be accepted
- 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
PRIZES
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.
- All 120 finalists’ entries get printed in the Wicked Young Writer Awards anthology.
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 Books.
- 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 Books.
- 15-17 also win:
- A writing masterclass with a professional author
- 18-25 also win:
- A self-publishing package from BookPrintingUK, to publish your very own work.
- FOR GOOD: Award for Non-Fiction also win:
- If the winner is 11-15: old they will see their piece published in First News
- If the winner is 16- 25: Work experience at First News newspaper, shadowing the editor Nicky Cox, MBE.
Schools and teacher prize:
The school that submits the highest number of entries win a choice of the following:
- A creative writing experience for the whole school plus 20 off-peak tickets for staff. (A series of workshops from an author for all students that entered)
OR
- Free off-peak tickets for a student group, in November 2020*
(*T&Cs apply for off-peak tickets)
HISTORY
The "prestigious Wicked Young Writer Awards" (The Times) was established by the long-running musical WICKED to link the important messages of the production with a competition that would inspire young people to use creative writing to look at life a little differently. Since its launch in 2010, we have received over 20,000 entries to the award.
The Award recognises excellence in writing, encourages creativity, and helps develop writing talent in young people between 5-25 years old from all backgrounds and areas of the UK.
In 2016, a sixth category, the FOR GOOD: Award for Non-Fiction was introduced to encourage 15-25 year olds to write essays or articles that celebrate the positive impact that people can have on each other, their community and the world we live in. The category celebrates the WICKED: FOR GOOD programme, which supports charitable causes at the heart of the stage musical.
Each year, we hold a very special prize giving event at the Apollo Victoria Theatre for all 120 of our finalists. The event is attended by our judges, including head judge Cressida Cowell, the WICKED cast and a range of special guests and includes special performances, Q&As and rehearsed readings of the winning entries, performed by WICKED's principals. All finalists also receive a printed copy of their entry as part of the annual Wicked Young Writer Awards Anthology.
The Award is proud to partner with National Literacy Trust.