Attention English teachers! Get your little ones’ creative writing juices flowing

Learners aged six to 18 are invited to enter the annual Kingsmead Young Writers’ Competition 2026, which is now in its fifth year.

Launched in 2022 by Kingsmead College as a branch of their annual Kingsmead Book Fair, the competition aims to provide a platform for young South Africans to explore their creative writing skills.

“Story telling is at the heart of human experience, promoting empathy, connection and understanding,” said YWC organiser Corinne Rosmarin.
“When you write a story you also build skills like planning and problem solving, which encourage a flexible and open mindset.

“Artificial Intelligence can’t match human creativity, which is fuelled by emotion, experience and intuition.”

This year’s Out of this World theme asks young writers to submit an original creative short story based on one of four topics.:
1. The Galaxy Games
2. My Space Safari
3. A Message from Tomorrow
4. Off the Grid

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Things to note:
• Each age group has a different word count.
• Prizes for the winning entry in each age group include cash prizes from Standard Bank Wealth and Investment, book vouchers from Exclusive Books, feedback from the judges and publication in an online eBook.

• Winners will be announced on social media mid-May.
• For the rules and entry form, check out kingsmead.co.za
• Competition closes April 2.

“I challenge all English teachers to promote this competition within their classes,” said Alex Bouche, Kingsmead Book Fair director. “It is with a love of reading and writing that we can change the trajectory of literacy among our youth. We look forward to receiving this year’s stories!”

Follow them: @Kingsmeadbf (Instagram) and @kingsmeadbookfair (Facebook).
Queries (no entries) can be sent to Corinne Rosmarin at kbfyoungwriters@gmail.com

Also Read: Help develop your child’s writing skills at home