Today, on Martin Luther King Day, Sampad is thrilled to announce the launch of a writing competition aimed at fostering creativity and imagination among young people in the West Midlands and India. This initiative invites participants aged sixteen and under to articulate their dreams and aspirations through the written word, creating a platform for self-expression and a celebration of unique perspectives.
The writing must be original.
- It could have a personal focus – your future career, home, school, friendships, pets, family or city
- It might be a personal response to a wider theme – Injustice, Equality, War, Peace, Homelessness, Climate Change, Hunger, Rainforests…..
- Young people will have a myriad of ideas not on this list. As long as the writing is inspired by ‘I Have a Dream’ it will be accepted.
We encourage entrants to be creative in their writing form – a poem, song lyrics, radio play, speech, article or story are all equally welcomed. (Maximum 750 words).
Each entry should be accompanied by a short paragraph (no more than 100 words) with the entrants name, age and a little about them and what inspired them. Sampad will only submit entries for judging which are linked in some way to the words/ideas of ‘I Have a Dream.’ Regretfully we are also unable to submit entries which are handwritten or over the word limit.
To enter, send your entry to learning@sampad.org.uk by the 14th February.
The Birmingham Pen Museum have kindly donated 2x family tickets for the winners of the competition. We are very grateful for their support.
Competition Judges Announced – Aliyah Begum and Bali Rai
Competition Rules
1. Entrants must fall into one of the two age categories to enter the competition:
Primary school writers: aged 8 – 11 on 31st August 2024
Secondary school writers: aged 12 – 16 on 31st August 2024
2. Entries must be inspired by dreams and/or aspirations. This can be the entrants dream, or they can put themselves in someone else’s shoes. They can also write about wider dreams for their city/country/the world.
3. The writing can be in any written form – for example, haiku, essay, short story, monologue, rap, or in whichever way the entrants like to express themselves best.
4. Each entrant can only enter once, and each submission must not exceed 750 words.
5. Submissions must be the entrants own original work and must not infringe on the rights of any other party.
6. Entrants retain the copyright to their written work but grant to Sampad a perpetual, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to publish, broadcast (across all media) and post the entry online and on any other platforms yet to be envisaged.
How To Submit Entries
Please include the entrant’s name and age and short paragraph within the entry.
The short paragraph should be a brief description about each entrant, written by them, describing their interests and what inspired their entry (max 100 words , can be shorter – it will be published in the book so please check that there are no safeguarding concerns before submitting.)
Please email your entry to learning@sampad.org.uk. Ensure the header states Writing Competition.
Prize
From India and the West Midlands 50 entries from each age category will be selected respectively to be published.
Each author published will receive a copy of the book and be invited to the celebration and launch of the publication.
FAQs
Can you enter from any country?
Unfortunately this time the writing competition is only open to young people based in the West Midlands.
Are there any age restrictions?
Yes, you may only enter if you fall into one of the following categories:
Aged 8 – 11 on 31st August 2024
Aged 12 – 16 on 31st August 2024
Can my entry be in any language?
Your entry must primarily be in English, but could include words or short phrases from other languages. If you include a word or short quote in another language, you must provide a translation.
My entry has not appeared anywhere in print form but it has appeared on the internet. Can I still enter it?
If it has only appeared as part of private blog or private website, you may enter it. If it has featured in any other type of publication, you cannot enter it.
Can I enter more than once?
No, only one entry is allowed per person. Any subsequent entries will not be considered.
If my entry is selected and published, who holds the copyright?
As the author, you hold the copyright. Sampad and the PK Foundation reserve the right to publish it in the book and to use it (or sections of it) to promote the publication.
See competition rule 7.
Is there an entry fee?
No, it is free to enter the competition.
Is it possible to enter by post/in writing?
No, all entries must be emailed to learning@sampad.org.uk and must be typed up rather than hand written to be considered. An adult may type up an entry in order to submit it.
Are there any prizes?
The winning entries will be published in a special commemorative book. Each author of a published entry will receive a copy the book. Winners will be confirmed in May 2024.
When will I be informed which entries have been selected?
We will inform participating writers of the judges choices by May 2024.
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