Competitions

The environment is a frequent focus in the creative writing produced by First Story participants. Every year the contents of our published anthologies demonstrate how much young people care about the …

The entries for this year's 100-Word Story Competition were as vibrant and thought provoking as ever. We were completely blown away by the creativity and craft of the young writers who took …

This year’s Six Word Story Competition is a real reflection of life during the pandemic. Some of the stories are funny and whacky; some of the stories (in fact, maybe most) are quite dark – perhaps …

It’s been another brilliant year for our 100-Word Story competition. Our fabulous judges over at Vintage books have picked their top three favourite entries from those submitted from across the …

In December, we piloted an exciting new platform to showcase and celebrate the shortlisted young writers in our annual Six Word Story competition. For the first time, 12 finalists saw their …

It’s that time of year once more: the BBC Young Writers’ Award is now open! We're encouraging young writers, aged 13–18, from across the country to submit your best short stories (up to 1,000 words) …

Curated by Stormzy, #Merky Books is a home for a new generation of voices. An imprint of Penguin Random House UK, #Merky is dedicated to publishing the best new fiction, non-fiction and poetry. It …

Now in its fifth year, our 100-Word Story competition is open to all First Story students, aged 11-18. Entries can be prose or poetry and can be on any theme. Judged by Vintage, the competition gives …

First Story and Vintage are delighted to announce the winner of the 2017-18 First Story 100-Word Story Competition. Armed with only 100 words, First Story students have come up with some stunning …

The BBC recently announced First Story and the University of Cambridge as the new partners for its short story awards, in a three-year collaboration starting in 2018. First Story will support the …

The winners of this year's First Story’s 100-Word Story Competition, judged by Vintage Books, have been featured in The Bookseller. This is just one more way to give them a huge …

The judges at Vintage Publishing were hugely impressed with the inventiveness and creativity of all entries, and after a long deliberation process we are excited to announce the overall winner and the …

The overall winning poem in our First Story National Writing Competition has been published in The Sunday Times paper and online, celebrating the achievements of the winner Mukahang Limbu from Oxford …

First Story were incredibly excited to learn that not one but, six students at First Story school Oxford Spires Academy, were shortlisted for the COMPAS ‘Poetry on the Move’ …