PLAY IN A DAY WORKSHOP: LIBRARY OF THE FUTURE
Thanks for everyone who sent their stories and supported the project. The winning stories will be at the heart of our next activity. Light UP Youth Theatre will help turning some of the stories written for the competition into a PLAY-IN-A-DAY event taking place at Cobbett Road Library during half-term on the 29th of May (9-12.30am). This will see children (7-12 years old) engage with story-telling, performance and collaboration.
The workshop is FREE but numbers are limited so please register ASAP using the link below
'Library of the Future' PLAY IN A DAY
7-12 YEARS OLD
29th MAY 2024
9am -12.30pm @CobbettRoadLibrary
The workshop is FREE but numbers are limited so please register ASAP using the link below
'Library of the Future' PLAY IN A DAY
7-12 YEARS OLD
29th MAY 2024
9am -12.30pm @CobbettRoadLibrary
COMPETITION WINNERS
Both in Category 7-10 and Category 11-14 years old we awarded 2 joint first prizes and a third place. We have 6 amazing pieces here to share with you from our winner (who are all anonymised and attribution given via their initials). You can download the writing here below. Thanks for everyone who entered. Happy reading:
7-10 Category
Joint 1st Place to the poem: "I am the Library of the Future" and the story "Library of the Future" 3rd Place to the story "Imagine the Future" |
11-14 Category
Joint 1st place to the stories: “Future Library - Year 3000" and "The Hole" 3rd Place to the story "Murphy’s Law" Runner ups: "It’s More Than Just A Book" "The Five Ponies go to a Library" "Books, books, and books" |
Thanks so much to everyone who came to celebrate with us the winners of the competition. Not all winners could come to collect their Prize but they will receive it via email but here below are 4 of the winners. A great way to also celebrate our library turning 85! Happy Birthday Cobbett Road Library!
Thanks to Improbable Club and author Yarrow Townsend for supporting our young writers. |
Friends of Cobbett Road Library – in partnership with Awaaz Radio, University of Southampton, Improbable Club, Southampton Story Club, October Books and Light UP Youth Theatre – would like to invite young people (aged 7-17 years) across Southampton to enter a creative writing competition on the theme of “Library of the Future”.
Participants are invited to write short stories, poems or blogs, reflecting and imagining multiple aspects of the theme:
The points above can act as inspiration, but we hope young people's imagination will go beyond them to produce original and creative texts. Deadline for submission of work is 16th of April 2024. DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 22ND APRIL 2024 |
How to Enter the ‘Library of the Future’ competition
Your Entry
Must relate (as loosely and freely as you like) to the theme of Library of the Future. Must be your own work. Must respect the entry requirements (word /line count) for each category. Eligibility The competition is open to children and young people living in the City of Southampton. There are three age categories: (7-10 years) – you will need permission to enter. Can be up to 500 words (for short stories and blogs) or 20 lines (for poems). (11-14 years) – you will need permission to enter. Can be up to 1,000 words (for short stories and blogs) or 30 lines (for poems). (15-17 years) – you will need permission to enter. Can be up to 1,500 words (for short stories and blogs) or 40 lines (for poems). You should enter the category according to your age on 16th April 2024. Only one entry per child Your entry must not have been entered or placed in any other writing competition. Each participant can only enter one submission. You must have permission to enter from a parent or guardian. Dates You must submit your entry by midnight 16th of April 2024 at the latest. We cannot accept entries after that date. Nor can we consider changes made subsequently, so please make sure that the entry you submit is your final version. When you submit, it is understood that you have read and agreed to the entry requirements, eligibility conditions, and rules for the competition. To read these, please click below. |
Download A4 poster
Download promotional image
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Prizes
First-place winners in each age category will receive a certificate and a £30 book voucher to be spent at October Books, and will have their story or poem work read and recorded by a professional actor. It will be broadcast on Awaaz radio and for the podcast series ‘Communities & Libraries’.
Runners-up (second and third place) in each age category will receive respectively £10 and a £5 book voucher and a certificate of their award.
The top 5 entries for each category (and their writers) will receive a certificate and will be invited to attend a workshop organised by Light-UP Theatre to create together a community play about the Library of the Future.
The award ceremony will take place on the Cobbett Road Library Opening Anniversary on 18th May 2024
Runners-up (second and third place) in each age category will receive respectively £10 and a £5 book voucher and a certificate of their award.
The top 5 entries for each category (and their writers) will receive a certificate and will be invited to attend a workshop organised by Light-UP Theatre to create together a community play about the Library of the Future.
The award ceremony will take place on the Cobbett Road Library Opening Anniversary on 18th May 2024
Entry to the ‘Library of the Future’ Writing Competition implies your acceptance of all rules and guidelines listed below
Writer’s eligibility
- The competition is only open to children and young people currently living in the city of Southampton.
- Only one entry per writer.
- The competition is open to young writers aged 7-17 years on 16th April 2024.
About your submission
- Submissions to the competition must be your own original work and must not have been published elsewhere either online or in print. Entries will be checked for plagiarism.
- We can only accept submissions written in English.
- You can write about anything related to the theme of the ‘Library of the Future’.
- Entries must respect the word / line count of the relevant category. Please include a word / line count at the end of your submitted written work.
- Please include a title at the top of your submission but do not include your name.
- All work submitted must be original, entirely the author’s own work, and not infringe the copyright or any other rights of any third party and not be defamatory of any living person or corporate body.
Submitting your child/young person written work
About the judging
About future use of the submitted work
- The deadline to submit your entry is midnight on the 16th of April 2024. [DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 22ND APRIL 2024]
- If an entry is typed (by a responsible adult or the child/young person) please use a clear font such as Arial, Calibri or Helvetica in minimum 12pt, in English. If the original is hand-written, please scan the original or take some high-quality photos to allow the judges to read the text clearly.
- All entries are judged anonymously so the writer’s name must not appear on the work itself. Your details will appear on the entry form only.
- To submit please download the submission form here and email your entry together with the submission form to [email protected]
- You will receive an email reply to acknowledge receipt of your entry.
- No corrections or changes can be made after submission.
- Parental Consent. All entrants must have the consent of one of their parents or a responsible adult to enter their work. This consent needs to be included in the submission form. Appropriate adults must signal their consent on the entry form. Signatories will be required to re-confirm their consent before the winner announcements.
About the judging
- Entries will be judged by a community panel including members of: Friends of Cobbett Road Library, Improbable Club, Awaaz Radio, University of Southampton, October Books and Light-UP Theatre.
- The Judging: All entries are guaranteed to be read and marked by at least 3 members of the panel. The judges’ decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. The judging will be fair, independent, and anonymous.
- Winners and Announcements: The winners will be informed by 1st May 2024. An award ceremony will take place at Cobbett Road Library on 18th of May 2024.
- No written feedback will be given on any of the entries.
About future use of the submitted work
- The authors will retain copyright of the written work. By submitting an entry for the Award, the entrant thereby acknowledges and agrees that the winning entries can be used, shared and published as part of the Friends of Cobbett Road Library podcast series ‘Communities and Libraries’ and might be written about in promotional material of the Friends of Cobbett Road Library. All writing will always be fully attributed to the author.
- Agreement: Entrants will be deemed to have accepted these guidelines without reservation and to have agreed to be bound by them when entering this competition. Entries which contravene these guidelines will be disqualified.