Competition Theme :

Lost and Found

• Go to Competition writing prompts and rules

For Schools

Parents/ students entering via the Idea Stores do NOT need to register

In order to enter the competition, receive posters, entry forms and flyers, and take advantage of these free author workshops, schools need to:

• enter the competition by “buying” it via the Services to Schools/ SLAonline platform (Creative Writing Competition 2025. Just £40 to subscribing primary schools to cover administration – discount applied on purchase)
• email jacob.turner@towerhamlets.gov.uk letting us know who is to lead on running this event in your school.
• use the form at the bottom of this page to book your free writing workshops!

Workshops are available on a first come-first served basis. All schools that pay to take part in the competition can send an unlimited number of entries from their school for judging. The competition will be judged by two children’s authors (names to be announced).

The Arts Council grant also enables us to publish a book of the winning entries.

For Parents

If your child’s school has registered for the competition, or you’re entering via Tower Hamlets public libraries.

Please note – to be elligible for this competition, children need to:

• attend a school in Tower Hamlets OR
• be a Tower Hamlets resident OR
• attend a school that subscribes to the Tower Hamlets Schools Library Services

Entering the competition

Visit our Get Writing page for

• Ideas on how to approach the theme
• Story prompts
• How to write poems
• How to write stories
• How to create a character
• Full competition rules and advice on what the judges are looking for

Visit our ENTRY FORM page when you’re ready to send us your writing

We are thrilled to announce that Arts Council England has again awarded Tower Hamlets Schools Library Service with a grant to enhance our annual Creative Writing Competition with author-led creative writing workshops for schools, Idea Stores and home-educated children.

The author workshops are intended to provide practical creative writing skills to your pupils (and teachers!) including structuring a story and character creation. The workshops will relate to the theme of the competition but the skills learnt can be applied to other projects and lessons.

Competition Registration

Schools requesting workshops will be assumed to be registering for the Writing Competition and will be elligible for entry fees (see above)

How will a visit to your school work?

• It is our intention to arrange in-person author visits rather than virtual visits.
• An author will be able to work with up to 2 groups of pupils during the time allocated to their visit. These 2 sessions will be up to 50 minutes each and run one after the other with a short break in between.
• An author or poet can also work with just 1 group for the visit duration as a more advanced workshop for older pupils – let us know in the additional details box in the booking form.
• The school should suggest a date or (preferably) a range of dates during which you can host your visit. We will match you with an author based on your requirements and their availability.
• Workshops should take place from January to March (world book day week is likely to be booked up very early on)
• Each group of pupils can be up to the size of one class
• Workshops can be for all ages from year 1 upwards
• Groups can be of mixed ages, although there shouldn’t be too wide a gap between these ages in order to ensure age-appropriate content

All available workshops have now been booked for the 2026 competition