A person. A place. A memory. The internet. Time itself.
Gone is a creative writing competition for 11–18 year-olds that challenges students to imagine the moment something vanishes and turn what happens next into a mini saga of up to 100 words.
From mystery and suspense to humour, sci-fi, or something completely unexpected, the possibilities are endless!
Free to enter • Closing date: Friday 18 December 2026
Imagine waking up to discover something has disappeared.
It could be something small that changes one person's life, or something enormous that changes the entire world.
Perhaps electricity suddenly stops working. A familiar place vanishes overnight. Someone is erased from everyone's memory. Or something much stranger has gone missing.
Gone challenges students to capture the moment everything changes in just 100 words.
What disappeared? Why does it matter? What happens because it's gone?
Students can take the idea anywhere, creating stories that are thrilling, thought-provoking, funny, mysterious, or completely unexpected.
One moment. One change. A whole story waiting to be told.
Sometimes all it takes is one sentence to spark an extraordinary story.
Our eight story starter cards give students an immediate way into writing, with intriguing openings that invite them to decide what happens next.
Or create something completely your own!
The story starters are there to inspire, not restrict. Students can use one, adapt it, or invent their own disappearance.
A person, a memory, a voice, a whole town, gravity, technology, or even an emotion. Anything could be gone, and the consequences are entirely up to them.
Gone gives students an accessible starting point while leaving plenty of room for original, imaginative writing.
Our ready-to-use planning sheet helps them turn that first idea into a complete story.
Start with a story starter or decide what has suddenly disappeared.
Think about where the story takes place, who is affected, and what happens next.
Bring the story to life in up to 100 carefully chosen words.
The flexible premise allows students to explore everything from everyday experiences to imagined futures, while the 100-word limit keeps the challenge achievable.
It's a great opportunity to develop creative thinking, vocabulary, story structure, and editing skills as students learn to make every word count.
Our FREE, ready-to-use resources make it easy to introduce the challenge, spark ideas, and support students as they develop their mini sagas.
Eight intriguing openings to get students thinking and writing.
Guides students through their setting, character, disappearance, and ending.
Show students how a complete story can unfold in just 100 words.
Ready-to-use support for introducing the activity and developing ideas.
A simple, intriguing premise and ready-made story starters help students get started quickly.
From mystery and humour to sci-fi and suspense, students can explore the ideas that interest them.
The 100-word format encourages careful word choices, structure, and editing without demanding pages of prose.
Give students the opportunity to take their writing beyond the classroom and see their mini sagas published in a real Young Writers book.
There are also some incredible prizes to be won!
Plus Young Writers' Award of Excellence
The top school will receive £1,000 and our Award of Excellence.
Every participating school with published students will receive a free copy of the book featuring their work.
£100 Amazon gift card and trophy each
Every entrant receives a bookmark, and students whose work we'd love to publish also receive a certificate of merit.
One moment. One change. 100 words.
Give your students the freedom to explore what happens when something is suddenly gone, and discover just how much story they can tell in 100 words.
Closing date: Friday 18 December 2026
Already completed your stories? Enter now →
