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Competition Guidelines

The children's writing competition theme is social media.

Social Media 

Story Theme 

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Full Terms and Conditions

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  • The competition is open to young people aged 13-16 who are living in the UK.

  • Closing date: midnight 31/01/2026

  • Stories should be between 500–2,000 words, but don’t worry, a little over or under is fine. Entries won’t be judged on length.

  • There is no entry fee.

  • One entry per person.

  • Please include a valid email address with your submission so we can contact you if you win.

  • You’ll also need to include a valid parent or guardian’s email address, as they will be asked to give permission for you to enter the competition.

  • Submit your story as a Word document, PDF, or audio file (.mp3, .wav, .m4a). No videos. Max file size: 50MB.

  • The competition is part of a research project. Please see the 'About the Research' page for more details. 

  • We’ll only use your contact details to confirm your entry and to let you know if you’ve won a prize. Your details will be stored securely and deleted within 12 months.

  • An independent judge will read the stories without knowing who wrote them - they won’t see any names, ages, or contact details.

  • The judge’s decision is final, and no communication will be entered into about the outcome.

  • You will keep the copyright to your story. If you agree for your story to be used in the research, your story, or parts of it, might be quoted or summarised in research publications (like books or articles) or in presentations to show how young people imagine and describe social media. If this happens, your story will be anonymised, which means your name and any personal details will not be included.

  • Taking part in the research is optional – full details can be found on the ‘About the Research’ and submission pages.

  • You can change your mind and ask for your story to be withdrawn within 21 days of submitting it. Just use the contact form on the website.

  • Only original stories will be accepted.

  • Winners will be notified 4-6 weeks after the competition closes.

  • Prizes are awarded in the form of an electronic Amazon.co.uk Gift Card and will be sent to the email address you submit with your story. No cash alternatives will be offered.  

  • The organiser reserves the right to amend these terms and conditions at any time if necessary, including changes to deadlines, judging, or prizes. Any updates will be published on the competition website.

  • If you have any questions about the competition guidelines, please use the contact us form on the website.

 

Use of AI

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You are welcome to use AI to help you shape ideas, check spelling, or improve grammar, but the story itself should be your own original writing. For example, you might use AI to suggest different ways to describe a character or fix a sentence, but do not use it to write the full story for you. Fully AI-generated stories won’t be accepted - and trust us, it’s usually pretty obvious (bots have a very particular writing style!). If you do use AI to to help with planning or editing, you don’t need to tell us, but please make sure the main ideas and writing are your own.

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What you need to do: 

Write a fictional story and include the competition's theme of social media.

Write between 500-2,000 words.

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The story can be about anything you like - any genre, any setting - but it must include the theme of social media in some way. You could base the story solely on the topic of social media or social media could be a small part of the story. ​

 

Please upload your story as either a Word document or PDF file.

If you'd like to submit your story as a voice recording (instead of writing it), you can upload an audio file (upload as an.mp3, .wav, or .m4a). We cannot accept video recordings.

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Submit your story on the Enter Here page on the website. ​​

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​Stories will be judged on creativity, but not grammar, spelling, or punctuation.

We are looking for original ideas and imagination.

The children's writing competition theme is social media.
The children's writing competition theme is social media.
The children's writing competition theme is social media.
The children's writing competition theme is social media.
The children's writing competition theme is social media.
The children's writing competition theme is social media.
The children's writing competition theme is social media.
The children's writing competition theme is social media.
The children's writing competition theme is social media.
The children's writing competition theme is social media.
The children's writing competition theme is social media.
The children's writing competition theme is social media.
The children's writing competition theme is social media.
The children's writing competition theme is social media.

Important

Please remember: 

To enter the competition, you must have permission from your parent or guardian.

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When you submit your story, we’ll ask for your parent/guardian's email address. They will be sent an email asking them to confirm they agree to your participation. Make sure they see and click this link.

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If we don’t get their permission, your story won’t be entered into the competition.

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Spread the Word 

Are you a school or community group? Download the competition flyer here     →

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