500 Words: BBC Breakfast to relaunch children's writing competition

Presenter Jon Kay said BBC Breakfast was "delighted to be championing 500 Words"

The children's writing competition 500 Words is to be relaunched by BBC One's Breakfast programme, three years after it was dropped from Radio 2.

First launched by Chris Evans on Radio 2's own breakfast show in 2011, the popular UK-wide contest continued with his successor Zoe Ball until 2020.

It will return in September, again backed by the Queen Consort Camilla.

The BBC's chief content officer, Charlotte Moore, said the corporation was "thrilled" to be bringing it back.

She added the scheme, also backed by Sir Lenny Henry, would "help discover a range of young authors with big imaginations".

"It is fantastic that the competition will be supported by the Queen Consort and we do hope teachers and librarians across the UK will get involved in this chance to help find the writers of tomorrow," Moore said on Thursday, marking World Book Day.

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BBC Breakfast presenter Jon Kay added: "We are delighted to be championing 500 Words and look forward to the no doubt stellar entries from talented, aspiring young writers up and down the country that are sure to follow in due course."

Radio 2 breakfast host Zoe Ball with her predecessor Chris Evans and the Queen Consort Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwell, pictured at the 500 Words final in 2019

Comedian and actor Sir Lenny Henry is on this year's judging panel

Speaking on his Virgin Radio show in the summer of 2020, Evans said it was "a real shame" that his former employer had brought the creative, 500-word short story writing competition to a close.

Up until then, it had has received more than one million stories written by children, generating more than 440 million words; and at one stage brought keen reader Camilla to tears.

"There's no rules - they can sit down and write exactly what they like," she said in a recent conversation with current children's laureate Joseph Coelho.

Now that it is returning, the nation's teachers and librarians are being invited to join the 2023 judging panel alongside World Book Day ambassador Sir Lenny - who will also read a CBeebies Bedtime Story for the occasion.

Other judges include best-selling authors Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Francesca Simon, Charlie Higson and the former children's laureate Malorie Blackman.

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Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Thursday, Higson, who wrote a series of five Young Bond novels, aimed at younger readers, said: "Have fun with it, there are no rules and what we really want is to see inside those kids' minds and get their personalities through the stories."

"And I think anyone judging it," he added, "is going to have huge fun seeing what stories these kids are telling".

The grand final, which will feature the 50 best entries from two different age categories - children aged five to seven, and eight to 11 - will take place one year from now, on World Book Day 2024.

Previous locations for the final have been Windsor Castle, Hampton Court and the Tower of London.

The winning stories will be read out by star names, with past narrators including Dua Lipa, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jodie Whittaker.

'Free your imagination'

Author Benjamin Zephaniah has urged children considering taking part this time around not to be scared, and to just use their imaginations.

"If you can think of the wildest, craziest thing, that's fine," he said. "But I've also come across children who were a little bit nervous because they said, 'well, I don't want to do dragons and things like that' and I said, 'well, you can write about things that are serious too.'

"You know, if you've got a problem, if you're being bullied or you want to say something about the environment, you can write a story about that, too.

"When you're a writer, you've got so much subject matter, the world is your subject. So I would just say free your imagination, and just let your creativity go."

Elsewhere, Blue Peter's Amazing Authors Competition is giving young writers the chance to get their story brought to life by children's author and McFly member Tom Fletcher.

For more information on engaging with 500 Words visit BBC Teach.