Primary Times - the definitive what’s on and where to go family guide of activities and events for children of primary school age. Things to do with your kids during the school holidays including arts and craft activities, music and theatre for children, parties, competitions, days out, and family attractions along with term time drama schools, dance classes, after school clubs and sports activities. Things to do at a place near you!
2017 Jacqueline Wilson Creative Writing Prize Winner Announced!
Penguin Random House Children’s is delighted to announce the winner of the 2017 Jacqueline Wilson Creative Writing Prize, supported by First News, the National Literacy Trust and WH Smith.
10 year old Daniel Stockwell from Burbage in Leicestershire has won this year’s prize. For this year the challenge, to tie in with the theme of Jacqueline’s book Wave Me Goodbye, featuring evacuees in World War II, children were asked to ‘write a letter to someone who lives far away’. Daniel’s letter ‘Woof from Antarctica’ was a highly original, imaginative and extremely well-written letter which featured a boy writing to his dog from Antarctica! Daniel will win the incredible money-can’t-buy prize of being published in an exclusive WH Smith edition of the paperback of Wave Me Goodbye, which will publish on 8th February 2018. He also wins the opportunity to meet with Jacqueline Wilson, receive £100 worth of books, a year’s subscription to First News and a bundle of Jacqueline Wilson books for his school (Burbage Junior School in Leicestershire).
On winning the prize, Daniel said: "I feel thrilled and excited to win the competition. Over the summer holiday I became totally engrossed researching and writing this letter and I’m really happy that other people find it interesting too. I got the idea for the letter, when I was looking up how to help a tired bee and I found out that the only place on Earth where bees are not found is Antarctica. I then started reading about Antarctica and thought that a place so different from everywhere else on Earth would be a great setting for my letter. I can’t believe that Jacqueline Wilson likes it, she’s such an awesome writer.”
Jacqueline Wilson said: “I was so pleased that lots of children wanted to enter this year’s Creative Writing Prize and I so enjoyed taking part in the judging process. Daniel’s letter shone out from the other entries as it was truly original and he is a worthy winner.”
Fiona Evans, Head of School Programmes at the National Literacy Trust, said: “We know that letter writers are better writers, and this is something that children from across the UK showed us in abundance with their incredible competition entries. It was so hard to choose just one winner but Daniel’s funny, creative and informative letter to his dog really captured our imaginations. Writing letters really helps to build children’s confidence and aspirations, so we hope Daniel’s letter inspires more children to pick up their pens and start their own letter writing journeys!”
Nicky Cox, Editor in Chief, First News said: "The standard of the entries was awe-inspiring. Choosing an overall winner was a very difficult task. It is wonderful to discover that, in this technological age, letter-writing is not a dying art but safe in the hands of our youngest generation."
Almost 2000 letters were entered for the Prize which was open to 7-12 year olds in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Children were invited to write a fictional letter ‘to someone who lives far away’ with a word count of no more than 750 words.
The panel of judges included: Jacqueline Wilson; Kelly Hurst, Jacqueline’s editor at Penguin Random House; Fiona Evans, Head of Schools Programmes at the National Literacy Trust ; Nicky Cox, Editor In Chief for First News; and Rachel Airey, Senior Buyer for Children's Fiction at WH Smith.
Daniel’s wonderful letter is now available to read on: www.jacquelinewilson.co.uk