Children's Story Competition 2010
I was surprised by the high quality of entries submitted. Many stories were well structured and beautifully written, it was a very hard competition to judge and I wish I could have rewarded more authors for their good work. With a limited number of places, I decided to choose those which were simply good stories, that drew me and stayed with me after I'd read them.
There were lots of emotional stories which I'm sure took guts to write and also stories that were very original and imaginative. I would say that some were very promising, but suffered from weak endings, but all in all I was privileged to read so many good pieces of writing and I'd like to say to all those that didn't receive recognition this time around, please keep writing and expressing yourselves through this wonderful art form!
Claire Alexander
Judge
Children's Story Competition 2010
CATEGORY 1 (7 - 9 years)
The Winner
Daisy, aged 8, Dorset
'Sports Day Fiasco'
This story was imaginative, original, well written and so convincing I was transported to The Common Elf Games like I were there watching the events myself. I particularly like the atmospheric opening which drew me in and set the scene beautifully. An amazing piece of writing for the age category.
Second Place
Angel, aged 9, Croydon
'Rage'
Third Place
Toby, aged 9, Ireland
'The Magic Pot'
Ten Excellent Stories:
Leila, aged 9, Ireland
'Rage'
Anthea, aged 9, Australia
'The Intergalactic War'
Madeleine, aged 9, Surrey
'The Magic Pot'
Rukmini, aged 9, USA
'A Midnight Mission'
Emily, aged 9, Cambridgeshire
'The Magic Pot'
Daphne, Cornwall
'Rage'
Charlotte, aged 7, Hersham
'Sports Day Fiasco'
Elaine, aged 8, London
'Rage'
Thomas, aged 9, Croydon
'The Magic Pot'
Mélinée, aged 9, The Netherlands
'The Intergalactic War'
Five Great Stories:
Krystal, aged 9, Croydon
'The Magic Pot'
Alice, aged 9, Croydon
'Sports Day Fiasco'
Joshua, aged 9, Croydon
'The Magic Pot'
Dayana, aged 9, Bristol
'My Memories'
Lydia, aged 9, Essex
'The Intergalactic War'
CATEGORY 2 (10 - 12 years)
The Winner
Amina, aged 12, London
'Rage'
This is a very emotional and expressive story with an unexpected ending. The simplicity of the short sentences are extremely powerful in conveying the author's sense of rage and injustice.
Second Place
Lily, aged 12, London
'The Magic Pot'
Third Place
Atalie, aged 12, East Sussex
'Rage'
Ten Excellent Stories:
Blanca, aged 11, The Netherlands
'Rage'
Jonathan, aged 11, Bucks
'The Intergalactic War'
Katherine, aged 12, Moray
'The Intergalactic War'
Emma-Marie, aged 10, Trinidad
'Rage'
Lana, aged 11, Croydon
'Rage'
Nasheik, aged 12, West Midlands
'The Magic Pot'
Keir, aged 10, London
'Rage'
Hugo, aged 10, Surrey
'The Intergalactic War'
Joy, aged 11, Croydon
'Ruddy, Sam and Ondine'
Nasheik, aged 12, West Midlands
'The Intergalactic War'
Five Great Stories:
Isabella, aged 10, Thornton Heath
'Rage'
Alice, aged 12, East Yorkshire
'Rage'
Akiko, aged 11, USA
'The Magic Pot'
Annie, aged 10, Freeland
'Rage'
Manual, aged 11, Malta
'The Mysterious Adventures of the Ant Army'
CATEGORY 3 (13 - 15 years)
The Winner
Freya, aged 13, London
'Ruddy, Sam and Ondine'
A beautifully poignant story, cleverly written with a brilliant twist at the end. The story beautifully evoked a dreamlike atmosphere, reinforced by the poem in the middle.
Second Place
Sunny, aged 14, Essex
'Ruddy, Sam and Ondine'
Third Place
Ramissah, aged 15, Huddersfield
'Rage'
Ten Excellent Stories:
Eve, aged 15, London
'Ruddy, Sam and Ondine'
Tabitha, aged 14, Dorset
'Rage'
Ricky, aged 13, London
'Rage'
Carmen, aged 13, London
'Ruddy, Sam and Ondine'
Joshua, aged 14, London
'Rage'
Ashley, aged 14, Spain
'Rage'
Katharine, aged 15, Hampshire
'Rage'
Hannah, aged 15, Derbyshire
'You Can't Run Forever'
Emily, aged 13, North Yorkshire
'Rage'
Laura, aged 13, Surrey
'Rage'
Five Great Stories:
Rebecca, aged 14, Herts
'Rage'
Bronte, aged 13, Singapore
'Rage'
Abby, aged 13, East Yorkshire
'Rage'
Hannah, aged 15, Derbyshire
'The Wall'
Catherine, aged 13, Newcastle upon Tyne
'The Magic Pot'
CATEGORY 4 (16 - 18 years)
The Winner
Kitty, aged 18, London
'Ruddy, Sam and Ondine'
An inspiring, heartfelt story. Cleaver use of a story written within the story to describe the old myth and the representation of 'in-out-in-out' conveys the narrator's condition in an innovate way.
Second Place
Aisha, aged 17, London
'The Intergalactic War'
Best Overall School:
Woodside High School, London
Grammar and punctuation aside, this school's entries were full of concentrated passion, controversy and emotion. The stories were very well structured, concise and economically written. All had exciting or intriguing openings which drew me in.
We'd like to thank everyone for taking the time to enter the Children's Story Competition and for giving us a wonderful range of fantastic stories to read and enjoy.
Submissions for the next Children's Story Competition will be accepted from Tuesday 1 March 2011.
For all queries please call us direct on 0845 456 5364 or alternatively you can e-mail us or write to us at Chapter One Promotions, Canterbury Court, 1-3 Brixton Road, London, SW9 6DE, England. We look forward to hearing from you.
PREVIOUS COMPETITION
Children's Story Competition 2007