The 500 Words creative writing competition is now open!

500 Words, the UK’s biggest children’s story writing competition is now open for entries! Discover more about the competition and how to enter here.

500 Words is back for 2026! It's time to write a story you would love to read!

The competition is open from Tuesday 29 September and closes on Friday 6 November at 9pm.

For more details, inspiration and guides head to www.bbc.co.uk/500words, where you can also read the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Notices.

What you need to know

500 Words is a creative writing competition, where you're encouraged to write a story you would love to read yourself.

📝 A creative writing competition for 5-11 year olds, split into two categories. 5-7 and 8-11.

📘 Stories need to be 500 words or less, there is no pressure to reach the word limit!

📊 Closing date: Friday 6th November 2026 at 9pm

📚 You could win loads of books for you and your school!

Find out more here

What else you need to know

Does that sound good to you so far? Great! Read on for the full details of the competition.

The competition is split into two age categories; 5-7 & 8-11 year-olds. The writers of the best stories will be invited to a grand final, where we’ll announce the bronze, silver and gold winners for each age group.

The idea is to write a fictional story, on whatever you want… dogs in space? Food coming alive? Humans that live underwater? We want to hear it all.

If that's not enough, the winners in each category will receive lots of prizes; you can take home a bundle of books, and if you are a winner in the gold category, you will also win 500 books for your school! Wait, there’s more! Each winning story will receive an illustration from one of the best children’s illustrators in the UK too.

The only real rules are that the story has to be 500 words or less (which is about one-side of A4!) and it has to be your own idea, written in your own words by yourself (your friends can enter the competition themselves!). We want you to write a story you would want to read and we really want you to get creative with the storyline, so we won’t be marking you on your spelling, punctuation or grammar (we pinky promise).

We will be marking your stories on five things:

Whether it's through children's books, tv shows or films - one thing the 500 Words judging panel all has in common is the ability to tell brilliant stories. Our incredible judges Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Charlie Higson, Malorie, Francesca Simon, Sir Lenny Henry and Rose Ayling-Ellis will return for the 2026/27 competition.

Find out more about the superstar judges here.

500 Words caught up with Sir Lenny Henry, Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Charlie Higson, who breakdown all 5 categories of the judging criteria, share some tips and exactly what they look for from a 500 Words Story. Read more here, or watch the short clip below.

Stories must...

Stories must not...

Got some questions about the competition? Check out the frequently asked questions here , or are you wondering how the BBC will use your data? Check out our privacy notice here. 

Your teacher, parent or guardian can find out more here about the competition, where there is plenty of inspiration to write your story and everything you need to know about the competition, including how to submit your stories. 

The gold, silver and bronze winners of both categories will receive a huge bundle of books:

The gold winners' schools will also receive 500 books each for their school library.

Fantastic illustrations

In addition to the book prizes, each of our winning stories will receive a framed illustrated cover produced exclusively by top children's illustrators.

All the illustrations and the stories will be showcased in a special 500 Words winners’ book and given to the bronze, silver and gold winners in each age category.

Incentives for schools

There are even incentives for your schools to take part, such as a chance to receive 500 books and a literacy wall art, to promote the love of story-telling. So make sure to spread the word to your teachers, too!

Next year the grand final of 500 Words will come from the very heart of the BBC.

It will all begin with six young authors, bronze, silver and gold in each age category, receiving a royal invitation to have tea with Her Majesty The Queen. This will be followed by a special 500 Words programme with The One Show in early March, supported by Radio 2, where the winning stories will be revealed and read out by celebrities in a truly magical celebration of the imagination and talent of young writers across the UK.

Be sure to check the 500 Words website after the grand final, as the top 50 stories will be published for everyone to read.

Try out these Book quizzes to inspire your creativity:

Tips to help you get started with your writing from some of your favourite authors:

Look after your books and remember where you're up to with these crafts and makes:

Don't forget, you could also earn your Blue Peter Book badge as you join in with the 500 Words competition!

If you do happen to read any other books to help inspire your writing, make sure to tell us about the book and draw a picture of your favourite character or scene from the story.

Things that you could tell us about: What did you like about the book? Was it funny, adventurous, or did it make you feel a particular emotion? Did the main character do something seriously exciting?

We'd love to hear about any books that have sparked your imagination. So, what are you waiting for? Pick up a book, explore your school library, or become a member of your local library and you could be on your way to earning your very own Book badge! 📚