Award-winning War Horse author Michael Morpurgo will judge a children’s creative writing competition as part of Yorkshire Festival of Story (YFOS 21), an online event happening next month.
Children from across the UK are challenged to write a 750-word fairy tale that features a tree or trees. Open to children aged 7-11, the Children’s Fairy Tale Competition is hosted by Hull Culture and Leisure Library Service and Yorkshire Festival of Story.
The writing competition provides a fun and interactive way for children either at home or school to engage with the natural world and pave the way for a brighter future for the planet, inspired by stories of change and collaboration.
Michael Morpurgo will judge each story and three winners will receive book tokens and a tree planted in Story Wood in the Yorkshire Dales. Each tree will feature a QR code so visitors to Story Wood can scan and download each winning story. Michael will write a personal response to each winner and they will also receive a signed copy of his latest book, When Fishes Flew.
Michael said: “A connection with nature is vital for young people and for all of us. I’m delighted that this competition is focusing on nature writing and very much looking forward to reading the entries.”
YFOS is organised by Settle Stories and will run for two weeks in November. Following last year’s success, the festival which will champion diverse voices, will be online again and the theme will explore we want the world to look like and ask how we can pave the way for a better future.
The Children’s Fairy Tale Competition closes on 18 October. You can find out more here.
The Yorkshire Festival of Story will run from 12 – 28 November 2021.
