This year, The Streatham Festival inaugurated a new Streatham Literature Festival. As part of this, a new Children’s Short Story competition was announced by Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP at the launch of Lou’s Little Library on Pathfield Road last month.  This small community library was created to commemorate the life and work of local resident. Louise Simonsen, by celebrating and sharing her love of reading with her children with a selection of books donated by and shared with their local community. 

Streatham Literature Festival and sponsor, Northwood Senior School, joined forces to create the short story competition to encourage creativity and a love of storytelling.  To this end, there are no themes, rules or restrictions, except that stories should be no longer than 500 words. A story can be less than 500 words, and if necessary to finish a sentence or paragraph, it could also be a sentence or two over. 

This competition is inspired by the current Children’s Laureate, Cressida Cowell, whose manifesto is attached. Drawings and accompanying illustrations are allowed, welcomed, and encouraged, although will not give an advantage.

HOW TO ENTER and RESOURCES

There are two age categories: Years 1-3 and Years 4-6.  A lesson plan and teaching resources, including videos and worksheets, suitable for each age group has kindly been prepared for Streatham Festival by Charlotte Keoch, Head of English at Northwood Senior School and is available for free download below.

• Plot Pieces
• SLF Short Story Competition
• Story Mountain
• Word bank and sentence starters
• Eye on Streatham Competition T&C Lesson Plan – SLF Short Story Competition

The deadline for entries is 11 January 2021. Please send entries to literature@streathamfestival.co.uk. 

 PRIZES will be presented by MP Bell Ribero-Addy:

Years 1-3 Winning Prize: £25 book token and a copy of author and illustrator Frann Preston-Gannon’s ‘I Am the Seed’, donated by E A Wates interiors. 

Years 1-3 Runner Up Prize: A copy of  Yuval Zommer’s ‘The Big Book of Beasts’, donated by E.A Wates Interiors

Years 4-6 Winning Prize: £25 book token and a book light from The Indigo Tree gift shop.

Years 4-6 Runner Up Prize: A Copy of ‘The Ecology Book’, donated by E.A Wates interiors.

Here are some useful videos for inspiration on getting started:

Cressida Cowell – Maps as story starters

Sharna Jackson – How to write a murder mystery

Jon Burgerman – Story and drawalong (4:35 for drawalong)