The Book
We need to make some changes around here, the winning entries of the 2018 Creative Writing Competition, has been published as a paperback and an eBook with funding from Arts Council England. Copies of the printed book have been sent to schools subscribing to the Tower Hamlets Schools Library Services. To request copies, please contact jacob.turner@towerhamlets.gov.uk
The following electronic editions are available.
About the competition:
The Tower Hamlets Creative Writing Competition is an annual event for schools in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets for students aged nine years to sixteen. Conceived in 2004 by Tower Hamlets Gifted and Talented strand of the Excellence in Cities programme, it has been run by Tower Hamlets Schools Library Service since 2011 with the aims of promoting wider reading and literacy, and to encourage young people to express themselves through the written word.
Research carried out during the 2017 competition showed that pupils participating in the competition and the author workshops benefited by gaining confidence in their writing ability and gaining greater insight into the issues raised by the competition themes.
The winners!
I am pleased to announce that the prize-winners for the 2018 Tower Hamlets Creative Writing Competition have been chosen!
Award-winning author Berverley Naidoo judged the pupil’s work on creative approaches towards the theme, engaging stories and characters, and inventive and original writing styles. The quality of the work was incredible this year, so very well done to all of the winners. There were definitely some surprises!
The Schools Library Services would like to thank Clifford Chance for hosting the prize-giving.
Prize winners were also invited an exclusive workshop with Beverley, kindly hosted by the Canary Wharf Idea Store, where they explored poetry, stories and storytelling.
The winning work will be published this autumn as a paperback. The official launch will be during the Write Idea Festival in November. For more information about the competition anthologies, please contact jacob.turner@towerhamlets.gov.uk
The Theme
We need to make some changes around here wat the theme for the 2018 competition. The theme changes each year and suggestions and resources to help pupils approach each theme are sent to registered schools.
Taking Part
Registration for the 2018 competition is now closed.
- Register for the competition via SLA online (Tower Hamlets Schools) or by contacting the schools library service (non-borough schools)
- Contact us to arrange your free writing workshops (see below)
- Inspire your pupils to write stories and/or poems around the competition theme
- Send the work to us by the end of the spring term for judging
Free writing workshops
The Arts Council England is supporting the project by funding a series of author-led workshops for participating schools. Two workshops per school will be allocated on a first come – first serve basis in the spring term.
The intention is to run the workshops in February/ March so as to provide inspiration and advice to pupils prior to the competition deadline.
Workshops will be available to schools registering for the Creative Writing Competition
So that we are able to book the most suitable authors; Please send us
- date(s) that you’d like to hold your workshop(s) on.
- Workshops on different dates may be run by different authors
- the year group(s) that you’d like an author to work with (primary schools should note that the KS2 category of the competition is for years 5 and 6 only).
- an estimate of numbers. The maximum size for a workshop is one class (30 pupils).
The date of the workshop can be at any time during the spring term. Once you’ve chosen the date we will let you know which authors will be available to visit your school.
Please note that the funding is to run practical workshops and not group talks/ assemblies.
Publishing the winners of the 2017 competition
We’re pleased to announce that the This is My Dream paperback edition is now available! This book collects the winning work by Tower Hamlets and Syrian pupils who entered the 2017 creative writing competition
- All winners (below) are entitled to a free copy.
- All schools who participated in the 2017 competition will receive a set of these books.
- All schools subscribing to the Schools Library Services will receive a free copy
Please contact the Schools Library Services for more information
