Young Writers Showcase 2024

English and Media at Birmingham City University welcomes submissions to our Young Writers Showcase, for students aged 16-18. 

This showcase aims to celebrate your creativity and literary abilities. Whether you make stories through prose fiction, express thoughts and feelings through poetry, report on current events through journalism, or craft engaging non-fiction texts, we invite you to share your unique voice and perspective.

The showcase is an opportunity for burgeoning writers like you to showcase your talent, gain recognition, and join a community passionate about literature and communication.

Why you should submit

Recognition: Everyone that submits will be included in our Young Writers Flipbook, which will be exhibited online and at our City Centre campus. These are great virtual and physical platforms to celebrate your writing.

Publication: Selected submissions will be compiled and printed in a junior anthology to showcase the diverse talent of young writers.

Submission Guidelines

All submissions must be original, your writing (please no AI) and previously unpublished works.

You can make ONE submission per person in any of these THREE categories:

  • POETRY: Any form you like, rhymed or unrhymed. think about how you will use the poem to reflect change, in the topic, the imagery or even the structure of the words on the page. You can submit either a single poem or a connected sequence. The word count is tight, so make every syllable count! (500 words max)
  • SHORT STORY: All genres accepted, let your creativity pour! The short story has been a powerful creative snapshot for exploring the fringes of thought and feeling. (1000 words max)
  • JOURNALISM: Report a true story in a captivating way. A magazine article or an investigative piece, write up an interview, investigate a community story,  or capture someone's true to life moment of change.

Submission Details

  • Deadline: Midnight 31st May 2024.
  • Submit your entry via this form HERE.
  • You will receive a confirmation email upon successful submission.

Formatting

  • If submitting multiple poems, please put all the poems in one document with a single poem on each page.
  • Please put your name and the title of the piece in the header of the document.
  • Ensure your submission is in a Word (.Doc) format. Please name the file: [name of the submission] [Your Surname] BCUYWS

We look forward to receiving your entries. Your story starts here! 

Visit the official Young Writers Showcase Instagram and YouTube here.

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