Enter the 2024 Short Story Writing Competition here

The Kids News Short Story Competition runs from May 6 to 31 and is free to enter.

The competition has four age groups: Kindergarten to Year 2; Years 3-4; Years 5-6 and Years 7-9.

Stories must be between 250 and 750 words for students in Kindergarten to Year 4; and between 500 and 1000 words for students in Years 5 to 9.

A panel of judges, led by award-winning author Jackie French, will choose the winning entries, with the first prize winner in each age category scoring 10 copies of their short story published by HarperCollins into a printed book with a personally designed cover.

Each age category winner will also receive a HarperCollins Children’s Books Mentorship, which will include personalised feedback on their story from the HarperCollins editorial team and the chance to quiz them about writing and publishing.

There are also prizes for one runner-up and three highly commended entries in each age group.

Teachers can submit their students’ entries using the online entry form below. A consent form, signed by the student’s parent or guardian, must be attached to the entry form and can also be found below.

The 2024 Kids News Short Story Competition opens at 9am (AEST) Monday, May 6, and closes at 4pm (AEST) Friday, May 31, 2024.

ENTER HERE: