Budding young writers get their pens at the ready as this year’s National Young Writers’ Award is set to return – bigger than ever 
before. The competition, which is now in its fifth year, will be judged by best-selling author, Cressida Cowell, writer of the world famous How To Train Your Dragon series, which inspired the hugely successful DreamWorks movie.
Children aged five to 14 will be invited to write a 500 word short story on this year’s theme – “Around the World”. The competition is organised by tuition provider, Explore Learning, and will be open for entries on Monday 15th April and closing on Monday 3rd June. It is absolutely free to enter via explorelearning.co.uk/youngwriters and the winner will be presented with their prize of a trip to Disneyland Paris for their whole family – and £500 worth of books for their school – by Cressida Cowell in June.
Heather Garrick from Explore Learning says: “Having Cressida on board is a fantastic coup and we’re thrilled that she is involved. She is a brilliant author and illustrator who will inspire lots of children to give writing a try. Many children have a gift for writing and it’s so important to nurture this from an early age to build up confidence and, most importantly, have fun and develop their imagination!”
Explore Learning, who have 77 centres located across the UK, will be running free workshops with local libraries, schools and community groups to inspire children’s love of writing and encourage them to get involved.
Each Explore Learning center will have their own regional winner who will receive a trophy and have their story read by Cressida Cowell as she selects the national winner.
Last year’s victor was seven year old, Jamie Reger from Surrey. He won with his story “The Black and White Bear,” a tale about how a cuddly bear links a boy to his distant past.
Heather adds: “We judge all our entries on their creative approach, ingenuity and use of descriptive language – of course taking into account their ages. Last year thousands of children from all over the UK entered and this year we hope to attract even more with Cressida on board.”
Explore Learning provides maths and English tuition to children aged five to 14. They currently have 77 centres located across the country with almost 20,000 children attending. Each session is tailored to a child’s needs and Explore tutors work with children in a very low ratio (the maximum ratio is 1:6), ensuring the right balance between individual support and independent learning.
For more information about Explore Learning and their tuition services visit www.explorelearning.co.uk
