Here at Young Writers we run writing competitions from nursery age up to 18.

Our nursery and pre-school poetry writing activities are based around templates, which the children fill in. It is an excellent way to introduce writing poetry to young children and help them identify a rhyme pattern.

We provide lesson plans for mini saga and poetry writing for Key Stage 1, 2 and 3. Our lesson plans are tested in the classroom before being sent out to schools and are OFSTED compliant. The poetry lesson plans focus on different styles and themes each time. The mini saga lesson plan teaches Key Stage 2 & 3 pupils how to write a 50-word story.

Free lesson plans can be found in the Teacher section of our website. Our lesson plans aren’t compulsory and we receive a huge variety of poetry throughout the year on all manner of subjects and themes. At this time we don’t provide lesson plans for Key Stage 4; writers of this age and academic level have their own ideas on what a poem should be and we encourage them to choose their own way to express themselves in verse.

Poets usually enter their work through their school, however we do accept independent entries and entries from overseas. Where possible we encourage entry through schools as we provide all participating schools with a free copy of the book their pupil(s) feature in. Cash prizes are also up for grabs for the best schools. Independent entrants are still considered for publication and receive the same information, free gift and certificate as pupils who enter through their schools.

Our editorial team reads EVERY poem that we receive and all entrants are judged on imagination, perception and interpretation of poetry as well as technical ability. Age and any learning difficulties we are notified of are also taken into consideration. Where possible we try to include as many poems as we can, as this is fundamentally a creative writing experience that the whole class / school can participate in. We award every participating school a complimentary copy of the book their pupil(s) feature in, and if we receive over 100 entries from a school a bonus free copy is provided.

To view our current competitions please use the links below:

Nursery Competitions (Nursery, Pre-School & Foundation Stages)

Primary School Competitions (Key Stages 1 & 2, Years 1-6)

Secondary School Competitions (Key Stages 3 & 4, Years 7-12)