MY FORCES LIFE WRITING COMPETITION HAS NOW CLOSED.
Thank you for all your AMAZING entries!
Winners were announced at the end of April on our Facebook page. The printed anthology will be available later in the year.
WIN £100 OF BOOKS!
My Forces Life – writing competition
We’re inviting children and young people of all ages, and their parents and relatives, to write up to 500 words about Forces life.
This can be fiction or true-life writing, and in any form – a story, a few diary entries, a poem, a fictional letter, a joint piece of writing between family members, for example, by a grandparent and grandchild.
A message from Mrs Crow and Vivian French
What to write about?
You could write a fantasy tale about what your Forces parent gets up to in their day job! You could write a poem on how it feels to be a Forces child. You could write a true-life piece of writing about a strong family memory.
The aim of the competition is for children and young people to be free to write whatever they want, and to have fun writing what they would like to write about their Forces life.
Categories for entries
- Up to age 7
- Ages 8-11
- Ages 12-14
- Ages 15-18
- Wider Family – a special category for parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles writing about their Forces family connection
*Parents and carers can help write down their little ones’ stories.
A message from one of our judges
How to take part
We welcome entries from British Forces families posted anywhere in the world. Entries are emailed to us, so wherever you are, you can take part.
Maximum of 500 words for each entry, but less is fine!
Illustrations are welcome if you want to include them but they are not necessary. We are not looking for perfect spelling or perfect grammar, we are interested in what children and Forces families have to say and what they would like to write and share.
When you’re finished, give your entry a title and send it by email to: info@readingforce.org.uk. It’s fine to take a photograph of a written piece of work and email the image to us but please make sure it is readable. Please include the entrant’s full name, age, and Forces connection (adults do not need to include their age!).
Closing date for entries is 27th March. Full Terms and Conditions apply – find out more here.
PRIZES!
There are three prizes for EACH of the five categories
For each category up to age 14, winners will receive a selection of books provided by Hachette Children’s Group
FIRST prize – £100 worth of books
SECOND prize – £50 worth of books
THIRD prize – £25 worth of books
Additional Prizes
Winning entries will be featured in a special Reading Force anthology and winners will be given two copies to keep.
14-year-old+ winners (plus one parent/carer per winner) and winners in the Wider Family category will have the opportunity to join a virtual session with Hachette Children’s Group, to discover how a publishing house works.
Younger winners will be offered a virtual session on what makes a good story, run by Reading Force.
ALL competition entrants will receive a certificate!
Who are the judges?
Some of your favourite authors will be judging the competition entries. Scroll down and take a look at these short clips to see what our judges are looking for in your writing entries…
Vivian has written more than 250 children’s books, including the much-loved Oliver’s Vegetables. She has visited schools with Reading Force, had an uncle in the Navy, and is looking forward to reading something quirky in the up to age 7 category!
British Forces Broadcasting Services (BFBS) Presenter and Producer Mark McKenzie rounds up our panel of judges. Mark has been a fantastic supporter of Reading Force and has attended our school events in Scotland. He loves kids, books, and stories, and we’re thrilled he’ll be reading some of your entries!
Tom was short-listed for the Blue Peter Book Award, and his Football Academy series and rugby series have earned him a massive following. D-Day Dog won the Children’s Book Awards 2020. He has led Reading Force Roadshows. Tom came to reading and writing later in life and he has more than made up for any lost time!
Meg is well known for her YA novel How I live Now, and Just in Case which won a Carnegie Medal. Reading Force teens loved The Great Godden which was last summer’s hottest read! Meg launched Reading Force back in 2011, and returned with us to Aldershot in 2021. You can watch her film on why she became a writer here.
Amanda is an army wife and army mum, an international bestselling author of 28 contemporary fiction novels, a non-fiction title and a children’s book. Perfect Daughter was selected as a World Book Night title in 2016 and The Boy Between in 2022 while A Mother’s Story won the Sainsbury’s prize. Amanda has recently been appointed as an ambassador for ‘The Reading Agency’ where she proudly supports libraries and adult literacy campaigns.
Useful resources
– Tips on story writing
– Tips on creative writing with your kids
– Follow us on Facebook and Instagram
– Guest blog
– Competition poster
Important Dates:
– Competition starts – Tuesday 7th February 2022
– Competition closes – midnight Sunday 27th March 2022
– Winners will be notified by email – mid-April 2022
Writing Competition Sponsors
We are grateful to our platinum sponsor, Bolt Burdon Kemp Solicitors, and to Hachette Children’s Group, for generously supporting this competition.
