BBC Radio 2 - 500 Words 2019

The world's biggest short-story writing competition for kids has returned

It was launched back in 2011, after Chris Evans had a dream. He dreamt of getting children excited about reading and writing. All children: no matter what their ability, experience, or background.

In 2018 134,790 children entered the competition, and since it launched, the competition has received over 800,000 short stories.

It's super simple. All entrants must pen an original story, no more than 500 words in length, and submit it online. It can be about ANYTHING you want € space-ships, grannies, insects, microwaves. The list is endless!

Stories are judged anonymously, without regard to grammar, punctuation or spelling. The competition culminates in a broadcast extravaganza of live music and sensational story-telling every summer, at a special venue. Past venues have included The Globe and The Tower of London. 2018 saw a magnificent extravaganza come live from Hampton Court Palace. From the 134,790 entries - that's 67.5 million words, the 6 winning wordsmiths were announced on-air by celebrity narrators including Jason Isaacs, Jim Broadbent, Amanda Abbington and Shobna Gulati. Also there were enchanting performances from sensational superstar John Newman, X-Factor alumni Alexandra Burke, and the amazing Bastille.

To find out more visit the website