The 成人论坛 Young Writers鈥 Award with Cambridge University gives young people in the UK aged between 14 -18 years the opportunity to submit short stories of up to 1,000 words.
First launched as part of the tenth anniversary celebrations for the , the Young Writers鈥 Award aims to inspire and encourage the next generation of writers.
The 成人论坛 Young Writers' Award 2024 is now open
2024 marks the 10th anniversary of the 成人论坛 YWA and 成人论坛 Radio 1 Presenter Katie Thistleton returns as Chair of Judges for the YWA for the seventh time.
Students can find out more at bbc.co.uk/ywa.
Huge congratulations to Atlas Weyland Eden, 18, who won the 2023 成人论坛 Young Writers' Award with Cambridge University, for his story, The Wordsmith.
The writers shortlisted for the 成人论坛 Young Writers鈥 Award have their stories narrated by an actor and recorded for a 成人论坛 podcast and published in an anthology. You can hear the winning story from 2023 here.
Short story writing resources
To inspire students and help them to get writing, we've created this collection of resources all about short stories. Get started with our guides to writing a short story, plus advice for teachers, reading recommendations and short videos for the classroom.
A downloadable PDF for pupils with quick ideas to kickstart writing a short story.
A downloadable PDF which will guide pupils through the process of writing a short story from beginning to end.
A downloadable PDF guide for teachers, with ideas for using the Young Writers鈥 Award in or out of the classroom.
Writing inspiration. video
In this short video YWA judges, including 成人论坛 Radio 1's Katie Thistleton, reveal what makes them feel inspired to write something new.
A downloadable PDF full of great short story anthologies and collections to inspire pupils.
Top tips for writing a short story. video
In this short video Katie Thistleton and the 2018 YWA judges share short story writing tips.
Five creative writing tips for when you want to tell your story. document
Bestselling poet, playwright and novelist, Nikita Gill offers five creative writing tips to help budding young writers.
成人论坛 Student Critics. document
成人论坛 Student Critics is an opportunity for students to flex their critical muscles by reading, listening, discussing and critiquing the stories shortlisted for the annual 成人论坛 National Short Story Award.
What makes good story writing? video
In this short film, Anthony Horowitz introduces a line-up of top writers of children鈥檚 and young adult fiction who offer a smorgasbord of approaches to writing. Jamila Gavin, Keith Gray, Jacqueline Wilson, David Almond and Malorie Blackman share their writing secrets, giving consideration to where they find their inspiration, what their writing triggers are, and how they get writing started.
Michael Morpurgo on storywriting. video
In this short film, best-selling author Michael Morpurgo reveals some of the techniques that shape his writing. He describes how he came to write the novels War Horse and Private Peaceful and reads from the latter, a powerful novel inspired by the execution for cowardice of more than 300 British soldiers during World War I.
Anthony Horowitz on writing and inspiration. video
In this short film, Anthony Horowitz discusses writing the Sherlock Holmes novels and shares his top tips for writing. He considers where his ideas come from originally, and how to imagine stories behind everyday sights and sounds. He shares his own writing practices and talks about what it feels like to immerse yourself in writing.
Rebecca Abrams' writing tips. video
In this short film, novelist and journalist Rebecca Abrams offers advice for young writers, from how to find inspiration to how to devise plots. But above all, she says, it is important to remember that no one expects someone to pick up a violin and play it straightaway. It is the same with writing 鈥 you have to learn the basics, build on them, and practise.
Inside the Writer's Mind. collection
Created in partnership with First Story, these short films for secondary schools offer insights into the ideation and creative writing processes of contemporary writers working across a number of genres. From playwrights to poets via children's authors and graphic novelists, each short film follows a real writer's journey 鈥 from how they find their inspiration and work with a stimulus, to how they edit and perform a written piece.
Watch again: Authors Live - Holly Bourne. video
UK young adult novelist and Young Writers' Award judge Holly Bourne tells Authors Live about her new book.
Watch again: Authors Live - Catherine Johnson. video
Watch with your class to find out how history can inspire creative writing. Catherine Johnson is an award-winning author and screenwriter who has used historical settings in many of her novels 鈥 and she reveals some of her secrets! Designed for schools in Scotland, P5 鈥 S2.
External learning-related websites:
- - The Young Writers' Award partners at Cambridge University have created a page of resources and inspiration for entrants.