The 500 Words competition is closed for this year
500 Words, the UK’s biggest children’s story writing competition is now closed! Discover some inspiration and writing tips and tricks from friends of Blue Peter.
What was the 500 Words competition?
The competition is now closed for entries. The entry requirements were as below.
What you need to know
📝 500 Words is a creative writing competition for 5-11 year olds
📘 Stories need to be 500 words or less
Spelling, punctuation and grammar are not marked!
📊 Closing date: Friday 7th November 2025 at 9pm
📚 You could win lots of books for you and your school and have your story read by a celebrity on TV! All at a spectacular grand final, supported by Her Majesty The Queen.
What else you need to know
You can enter your story from 8am on Tuesday 23 September through to Friday 7 November at 9pm (it must be typed up - ask an adult to help!)
To enter the competition, you need to be aged between 5-11 on Friday 7 November
A adult (parent, guardian, teacher, librarian, sports club leader or community group leader) must enter your story on our website
It can’t be a rap or poem but you can include rhyme in your story
Does that sound good to you so far? Great! Read on for the full details of the competition.
Some of the celebrities who read out stories at the 2024 final included Rose Ayling-Ellis, JB Gill and Danny & Tom from McFly!
What is 500 Words competiton?
The competition is split into two age categories - 5-7 & 8-11 year-olds. The writers of the best stories will be invited to a grand final, where the bronze, silver and gold winners for each age group will be announced.
The idea is to write a fictional story, on whatever you want… dogs in space? Food coming alive? Humans that live underwater? 500 Words wants to hear it all.
If that's not enough, the winners in each category will receive lots of prizes; you can take home a bundle of books, and if you are a winner in the gold category, you will also win 500 books for your school! Wait, there’s more! Each winning story will be read out by a celebrity at a star-packed event with Her Majesty The Queen, and will receive a framed illustration from one of the best children’s illustrators in the UK too. Each winner will also receive a professionally printed copy of their story.
The only real rules are that the story has to be 500 words or less (which is about one-side of A4!) and it has to be your own idea, written in your own words by yourself (your friends can enter the competition themselves!). Remember, your story doesn’t have to be 500 words – it just can’t go over 500 words!
Write a story you would love to read yourself and get really creative with the storyline. The team won’t be marking you on your spelling, punctuation or grammar.
Your story will be marked on five things:
🧑 Characterisation
💡 Originality
📝 Plot
💬 Language
🥰 Enjoyment
Who is judging the 500 Words competition?
500 Words will have a panel of best-selling authors to crown the winners:
Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce
Francesca Simon
Charlie Higson
Malorie Blackman
Sir Lenny Henry, who you may know from Comic Relief!
Important information about entering the 500 Words competition
Got some questions about the competition? Check out the frequently asked questions here , or are you wondering how the BBC will use your data? Check out our privacy notice here.
Your teacher, parent or guardian can find out more here about the competition, where there is plenty of inspiration to write your story and everything you need to know about the competition, including how to submit your stories.
Looking for some inspiration?
Try out these Book quizzes to inspire your creativity:
Play Blue Peter Book Bingo, how well do you know some of these classic stories?
Blue Peter Book Battles! We've put these famous books in head-to-head.
Discover which of our Blue Peter Book Club 2024 books you should read. Perhaps they might give you some ideas, too?
Tips to help you get started with your writing from some of your favourite authors:
Discover how to write a great plot with Jacqueline Wilson, create a brilliant character with Cressida Cowell and make people laugh with some comedy writing tips from Ben Miller. There's plenty of inspiration to be found here!
Tom Fletcher shares his top tips for writing an awesome story, including how to create interesting characters and how to structure your story.
Look after your books and remember where you're up to with these crafts and makes:
Apply for your Blue Peter Book badge
Don't forget, you could also earn your Blue Peter Book badge as you join in with the 500 Words competition!
If you do happen to read any other books to help inspire your writing, make sure to tell us about the book and draw a picture of your favourite character or scene from the story.
Things that you could tell us about: What did you like about the book? Was it funny, adventurous, or did it make you feel a particular emotion? Did the main character do something seriously exciting?
We'd love to hear about any books that have sparked your imagination. So, what are you waiting for? Pick up a book, explore your school library, or become a member of your local library and you could be on your way to earning your very own Book badge! 📚