Submissions Invited: BBC Young Writers’ Award with First Story and Cambridge University

The BBC Young Writers’ Award with First Story and Cambridge University is ready to receive your submissions! Katie Thistleton, BBC Radio 1 and CBBC’s Book Club presenter, is chairing the 2018 judging panel and here’s what she has to say:-

“I’m a complete book worm so to chair the BBC Young Writers’ Award and find the authors of tomorrow will not only be incredibly exciting, but a huge pleasure. I’ve interviewed many bestselling writers, but this feels even more of an honour as we will be discovering the next generation of original voices. Having read the winning stories from previous years I know I, and my fellow judges, will be inspired and enthralled in equal measure.”

So get ready to write! The award is open to all young people aged 14 to 18, who live in the UK. Entries will be accepted from 9am on Monday, 11th December, 2017 until Monday, 19th March, 2018.

Katie Thistleton will be joined on the judging panel by an exciting line up of award-winning and acclaimed writers, the Carnegie Medal-winning YA author and former teacher, Sarah Crossan, celebrated poet Dean Atta, adult and YA author William Sutcliffe and bestselling author, actress, singer and vlogger, Carrie Hope Fletcherand you can find out more about all of them below.

The shortlist of the top five stories will be announced on Saturday 23rd September 2018. The winner of the BBC Young Writers’ Award 2017 will be announced at an awards ceremony broadcast live on Radio 4's Front Row on Tuesday 2nd October 2018. The winner will have their story broadcast on BBC Radio 1 read by a top actor, previously Ian McKellen, Tuppence Middleton and Star Wars’ very own Daisy Ridley. The winner will also receive a personalised mentoring session with an established author to help develop their writing skills.

The winner of the 2017 Young Writers’ Award was 17-year-old Elizabeth Ryder for her ‘sophisticated’ and ‘original’ story ‘The Roses’. Previous winners are Brennig Davies for ‘Skinning’ and Lizzie Freestone for ‘Ode to a Boy Musician’.