Words by the Water’s Young Writers Competition 2025

Words by the Water are inviting young writers in Cumbria to take part in our short story competition.

There are two age categories for this competition: 11 and under, and 12-16 year olds.

Theme: On our doorstep.

Your story should be no longer than 300 words.

Closing Date for entries: Friday 14 February at 4pm

Entries to be emailed to wordsbythewaterkeswick@gmail.com in PDF format, with the name & age of writer within the email only.

One winner and two highly commended writers will be chosen in each age category by our judge, the acclaimed author of young peoples’ fiction, Tom Palmer.

Entries will remain anonymous.

Prizes – Winners in each age group will receive a £50 book token and a £50 token for their school.

Highly commended entrants will receive a £15 book token and a £15 token for their school.

All prize-winners will also be given a choice of books signed by Tom Palmer and complimentary tickets for Festival events.

The Prize Giving Ceremony will take place on Saturday 15 March at 11.30am at Theatre by the Lake in the Main House. Tom Palmer will talk about how he became a writer and will announce the winners and read their work.

This event is free for all children, and £6 for adults. School groups are welcome. Booking is essential.

For more information please visit www.wordsbythewaterkeswick.com