Stranger Sagas - competition closed

Array ( [article_id] => 21871 [company_id] => 1 [user_id] => 0 [article_type_id] => 58 [article_seo_url] => strangersagas [details] => Array ( [Title] => Stranger Sagas [Description] => The latest creative writing competition guaranteed to motivate 10-18 year-olds. [Subheading] => [Age] => Ideal for 10-18 [Intro] =>

What happens when a normal day gets turned upside down?

Everyone is missing...

There are unexplained lights in the sky...

A curse is unleashed...

You don't know where you are...

A stranger gifts you a magical item...

These are just a few of the possibilities in the world of Stranger Sagas. Your students are invited to explore the weird and wonderful, the odd, the mysterious, and write a story in up to 100 words.

The word limit means they have to consider plot and vocabulary choices, encouraging them to be more precise, more specific, more descriptive with the words they use. It also helps them to gain confidence, as it takes away the fear of long-form writing. Stories can be written in any genre and on any topic, so they can let their ideas run wild and write about something that truly captures their imagination.

There are Prompt Postcards to inspire students, so you can swerve those cries of 'I don't know what to write about'. Each card includes a picture, sentence starter and prompt questions, so even the most reluctant writer will have a place to start.

You can download these along with a lesson plan, example stories and more from the Downloads tab above. We can also print more entry forms, posters or postcards for you - fill in how many you need in the Printed Resources tab and we'll post them out, completely free of charge.

So, if you want to motivate your students, give them a purpose for their writing, and see the pride and self-confidence bloom when they see their work in print, then Stranger Sagas is ready to drop into your lesson right now.

[Rules] =>

Only one entry per student.
No limit to the number of entries per school.
Teachers please submit your entries together where possible! If more than one teacher is entering, please use one Teacher Entry Form per teacher. They can still be sent together.
Ask your students to write their story, ensuring their name, age and school name are included. (First name only or initials can be used if necessary. )
Entries can be scribed/typed by an adult if necessary.
Work can be on the entry form, an A4 sheet of paper or typed (on a computer or in the Online Writing Portal).
100-word limit.
If a story starter/ending is used, it must be included in the 100-word limit.
Students' stories must be their own work!
Please note on the entry if there is anything we need to take into consideration when reading the work.
UK entrants only.
Free to enter.
Ideal for 10-18 year-olds, but students outside that age range are welcome to enter.
Copyright remains with the author.

[School Prizes] =>

The school that submits the best overall set of entries will win £1,000 and Young Writers' Award of Excellence!

PLUS every participating school receives a free copy of the book their students feature in!

(Remember, you receive 1 free copy for every 30 entries you submit! E.g. 1-30 entries you receive 1 copy, 31-60 entries you receive 2 copies, etc)

[Student Prizes] =>

5 winners will each get an £100 Amazon gift card and a trophy.

Plus every entrant receives a bookmark and all writers whose work we'd love to publish will get a certificate of merit.

(School & student winners will be chosen from entries submitted in the Spring Term 2026. The prizes will be sent in the following term.)

[Tips] =>
[YouTube] => qpDH-eM8RYY [Opens] => 2026-02-20 [Closes] => 2026-04-24 [Extended] => 1 [Orion ID] => 738 [RR Ontraport ID] => 783 [DL Ontraport ID] => 784 [Post Class] => SS [Orion Teacher Year] => KS3 [How to Enter] => We can't wait to read your students' mini sagas! [Winners Subheading] => [Winners Intro] =>
[Winner Word] => [Schools/Clubs] => Schools [Thumbnail] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1761744996-5023-StrangerSagas_PageIcon.jpg [Background] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1762256922-324-StrangerSagas_Background.jpg [Logo] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1761744996-2790-StrangerSagas_Logo.png [Independent Intro] =>

What happens when a normal day gets turned upside down?

Everyone is missing...

There are unexplained lights in the sky...

A curse is unleashed...

You don't know where you are...

A stranger gifts you a magical item...

These are just a few of the possibilities in the world of Stranger Sagas. You are invited to explore the weird and wonderful, the odd, the mysterious, and write a story in up to 100 words.

There are Prompt Postcards to inspire you, and each one includes a picture, sentence starter and prompt questions, so you don't need to spend ages thinking about what to write about or where to start - there are loads of ideas to choose from.

Download them now, along with more resources to help you get writing, including example stories. There are two main rules: keep your story to 100 words (or fewer!), and be original.

Every entrant has the opportunity to see their work published in a book, and there are fantastic prizes up for grabs, including £100 Amazon gift cards for our favourite 5 stories. You could be a winner, but you have to enter to be in with a chance!

So download your entry form now, and see where Stranger Sagas takes you.

How To Enter

Email your entry along with your name and full address to: [email protected]

Upload your entry at www.youngwriters.co.uk/competitions/enter.

Post your entry along with your name and full address to:

Young Writers Stranger Sagas
Remus House
Peterborough
PE2 9BF

Closing date: 27th March 2026

[Independent Rules] =>

Only one entry per person.
Write or type your story (or an adult can scribe/type it), ensuring your name, age and address are included. (Initials or first name only can be supplied if necessary.)
Work can be on the entry form or an A4 sheet of paper or typed.
Stories must be your own work.
Please note on the entry if there is anything we need to take into consideration when reading the work.
100-word limit.
UK entrants only.
Free to enter.
Ideal for 10-18 year-olds, but young writers outside that age range are welcome to enter.
Copyright remains with the author.

[Independent Prizes] =>

5 winners will each receive a £100 Amazon gift card and a trophy

Plus every entrant receives a bookmark and all writers whose work we'd love to publish will get a certificate of merit.

(Winners will be chosen from entries submitted in the Spring Term 2026. The prizes will be sent in the following term. Independent entrants are eligible for student prizes.)

[Meta Title] => Stranger Sagas - a creative writing competition for 11-18 year olds [Meta Description] => Inspire writing and ignite creativity with Stranger Sagas, the latest writing competition from Young Writers, designed to engage 11-18 year-olds and teach them how to write a story in up to 100 words. [Meta Keywords] => writing, mini sagas, teen writing competition, teen story competition, how to write a story, stranger sagas, stranger things, story writing, story competition, Young Writers, writing competition, published, inspire students, inspire pupils, [Share Title] => Stranger Sagas - a creative writing competition for 11-18 year olds [Share Description] => Inspire writing and ignite creativity with Stranger Sagas, the latest writing competition from Young Writers, designed to engage 11-18 year-olds and teach them how to write a story in up to 100 words. [Layout] => main-comp [Icon] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1761744997-8997-StrangerSagas_PageIcon.jpg [Category] => Secondary 11-18 [Type] => creative-writing [Country] => UK [Resource Hub Text] =>
[Letters Sent Date] => 2026-06-08 [Letters Sent Satus] => ⏳ In Progress [Books Published Start Date] => 2026-06-22 [Books Published End Date] => 2026-07-27 [Books Published Status] => ⏳ Coming Soon [Winners Announced Date] => 2026-09-25 [Winners Announced Status] => ⏳ Coming Soon [How to Enter Image] => [Video Placeholder] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1761744996-7057-StrangerSagas_VideoThumbnail.jpg [School Prize] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1729239193-671-10004.png [Student Prize] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1761745113-4212-Amazon100giftcard.png [Banner Background] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1762256922-1657-StrangerSagas_BannerBackground.jpg [Banner Logo] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1761744997-4940-StrangerSagas_BannerLogo.png [Share Image] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1761744997-8598-StrangerSagas_PageIcon.jpg ) [date_created] => 2026-02-16 14:06:18 [last_updated] => 2026-06-03 11:01:30 [sort_order] => 13 [incoming] => 0 [live] => 1 [archived] => 0 [deleted] => 0 )

This competition is now closed.

If you have late entries, please email us at [email protected] and we'll do our best to accommodate them.

Open competitions can be found here.

What happens now?

Our editorial team will read every single entry. Any child whose work they'd love to publish in a book will be sent a letter and certificate. Children whose work hasn't met the competition criteria will have the chance to resubmit their work. Winners will be chosen from published pieces once all the books in the series have been published.

Competition Timeline

Stage	Date	Status
Letters Sent	By 8^th June 2026	⏳ In Progress
Books Published	22^nd June 2026 - 27^th July 2026	⏳ Coming Soon
Winners Announced	25^th September 2026	⏳ Coming Soon

Please note we aim to keep these dates as accurate as possible but can be subject to change.

For more detailed information about your school's entries, please log in (or create) your teacher account here using the email you included on your teacher entry form.