Here's everything you need to know about entering the BBC's Young Writers' Award 2025

Read below for this year's entry instructions, Terms & Conditions + Privacy Notice.

Entry Instructions

Entry Dates

• Submissions for the BBC Young Writers’ Award 2025 will be accepted from 9am (GMT) Wednesday 11 December 2024.
• The deadline for receipt of entries is 9am (GMT) on Monday 24 March 2025.

How to Enter

• Submissions must be made by the writer.
• Make your submission using the online Entry Form as early as possible before the deadline, with an adult’s permission if you are under 16 years of age.

Instructions for Entering Online

1. Read the Entry Terms and Conditions on pages 4–8 thoroughly to find out who can enter and what stories are eligible for the Award. Submission of an entry is taken as acceptance of all the Terms and Conditions.

2. Write and format your short story as per the following instructions:

• One entry per writer
• Written in English (with a Gaelic/Welsh version if appropriate – see Entry Terms and Conditions, clause 10)
• A maximum of 1,000 words
• Original fiction on any topic
• Typed on a computer
• Any font, 12pt, black
• Double spaced
• No page numbers
• Include a front page which details the Title of Story and the Word Count
• Do not include your name anywhere on the story (unless you are submitting a typeset file and it is unavoidable).

3. Save the short story as an Adobe PDF, with the Title of Story in the file name. (N.B. if the short story has already been published you can submit a typeset PDF file, but please remove the writer’s name or title). If your story has been typed into Microsoft Word you can save as a PDF by clicking File -> Save As, and then selecting .PDF from the dropdown menu underneath the file name field.

4. Complete the Entry Form online at https://truemac.vn/send/u188737214 including uploading your short story document.

Please note, in this Entry Form, you must:

• Provide your name, gender, age, date of birth and nationality.
• If you are under 16: Ask an adult (i.e. your parent, guardian or teacher) to review your entry and agree to the Award Terms and Conditions, by ticking the check-box on the online form. The adult must provide their email address, telephone number and postal address (not the writer’s), their relation to the writer and the town/city and country in which the writer lives. For the Top 50 shortlisted entries, if permission to enter was given by a teacher rather than a parent or guardian, the BBC will contact the teacher and ask for confirmation of permission from the writer’s parent or guardian. Entries which have not been genuinely approved by an adult at the submission stage may be disqualified at any point in the judging process.
• If you are 16 or over: You must agree to the Award Terms and Conditions by ticking the check-box and providing your email address, telephone number and postal address.
• The personal data provided will be used for the purposes of administering the Award as outlined in the Privacy Notice - please see below.

Important information

• Entries not submitted in accordance with the Entry Instructions and Entry Terms and

Conditions will not be eligible for consideration.

• Entries submitted successfully online will receive an automated acknowledgement message on-screen; entrants WILL NOT receive an automated message to the email address provided.

If you have any questions about entering the Award, please email [email protected]. The Award administrators will respond as soon as possible. Please note that for any email correspondence to [email protected], an automated reply will only be sent to the first email.

Entry Terms and Conditions

Please read this document in full to ensure that the writer and their story are eligible for the Award. Instructions on entering can be found in the Entry Instructions above.

THE AWARDS

1. There will be five writers shortlisted for the BBC Young Writers’ Award with Cambridge University. The five shortlisted stories are narrated by an actor and recorded for an exclusive broadcast on BBC. The stories are also published in an exclusive anthology dedicated to the Award. The five shortlisted writers are invited to take part in a creative writing workshop with a leading writer and a tour of BBC Broadcasting House, central London, followed by the Award ceremony which is broadcast live from the Radio 4’s flagship arts programme, Front Row. The five shortlisted writers will have the opportunity at the awards ceremony to meet leading writers, publishers, agents and broadcasters. Travel, accommodation, refreshments and special assistance as required are provided for each of the five shortlisted writers and an accompanying adult. Each shortlisted writer can invite a further three guests who are aged 14 and over to the Award ceremony (at their own cost). All writers will need to be accompanied by a parent/guardian or BBC chaperone.

2. There will be one winning writer of the BBC Young Writers’ Award with Cambridge University. The winning writer will in addition have a special one-to-one mentoring session with an author.

ELIGIBILITY

3.The BBC Young Writers’ Award is opento UK residents, including residents of the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, aged 14 to 18 years old on the submission deadline 9am (GMT) Monday 24 March 2025, except the children or close relatives of employees of the BBC, BBC Group company, Cambridge University, or anyone connected with the Award or their direct family members. Proof of identity and eligibility may be requested. Entries must be submitted by the writer, with an adult’s permission (i.e. parent, guardian or teacher) if the writer is under 16 years of age. Writers can only enter individually and not as part of a writing team.

4. The story must not be more than one thousand (1,000) words. There is no lower word limit but the entry needs to be a story.

5. The story must be an original piece of fiction. Stories can feature well-known public figures from present day or from history (e.g. Stormzy or Charles Darwin) or can take place in historical eras (e.g. the Victorian era) or use real-life experiences as a creative springboard as long as the story is fictional. Fan-fiction will not be accepted. The writer guarantees that they haven’t used material or depicted events that actually took place or used the personal details of any living persons in the story. As the stories will be published, it is important that applicants do not include any personal details about themselves.

6. The use of generative AI tools to create or develop any part of an entry is not permitted and will lead to disqualification. The BBC and Cambridge University accept no responsibility if entrants ignore these Terms and Conditions and entrants agree to indemnify the BBC and Cambridge University against any claim by any third party from any breach of these Terms and Conditions.

7. The story entered must either be unpublished; or be first published in print or scheduled for publication/broadcast after 1 January 2024. If the story has been adapted, extracted or extended from an existing piece of published/broadcast fiction by the writer, including a piece published/broadcast or scheduled for publication/broadcast after 1 January 2025, please indicate this on the Entry Form.

8. Writers can only enter individually and not as part of a writing pair or team.

9. Each writer may submit only one story. If more than one story is submitted, only the first story received will be considered.

10. Entries should be submitted in English, or if written in Gaelic or Welsh must include a translation

11. Writers must supply full details as required, and comply with all rules to be eligible for the Award.

12. Shortlisted writers are encouraged to attend the Award ceremony on Tuesday, 30 September 2025 (date is subject to change), and to also to take part in some press activity immediately following the announcement of the shortlist and the winner. Shortlisted and winning writers must wait until the official announcements have been made before they make their success publicly known, so they must not publish or otherwise let it be publicly known via social media. To do so runs the risk of their entry being disqualified, which may lead to the shortlist and winning story being revised.

13. The former winning writers and any story previously entered into the BBC Young Writers’ Award 2015, 2016 and 2017; the BBC Young Writers’ Award with First Story and Cambridge University 2018, 2019, 2020; or the BBC Young Writers’ Award with Cambridge University 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 are ineligible.

JUDGING

14. Entries are judged on the following guidelines:

- Quality of writing

- Originality, imagination and creativity

- Sentence structure and language

- Writer’s ability to tell a story, capture the reader and hold their attention.

15. The Award is judged in three stages:

Stage 1: All entries are read and judged anonymously by at least two readers against the Award reading guidelines. Readers are from a mixture of backgrounds, with literary expertise, and drawn from across the BBC and Cambridge University’s networks. The best fifty (50) stories will then be put forward to the five judges.

Stage 2: All five judges will together select a shortlist of five outstanding short stories submitted for the Award.

Stage 3: The judging panel will together discuss and agree on the winning story.

16. Shortlisted and winning writers will be contacted by email or telephone, either personally if the writer is over 16 or via the adult that approved the entry if the writer is under 16.

17. The shortlist is likely to be announced on Sunday 14 September 2025 and the winner on Tuesday 30 September 2025 (dates subject to change). Both announcements will be published on the BBC website (http://https://truemac.vn/ywa), and Cambridge University website. Please check back on the websites for updates. In addition, a list of stories highly commended by the judges may also be published on the website alongside the announcement of the shortlist. By entering the Award, the writer agrees to their name and the title of their story being published on the website in the event only of their story being shortlisted or commended by the judges.

18. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. The judging will be fair and independent. The judging panel will be appointed by the Award Team and will be made up of a guest panel of five judges, including the chairperson who is a representative from the BBC. All judges are required to declare any personal and/or financial interests in relation to any writers.

19. This award complies with the BBC’s editorial guidelines for Competitions, Votes and Awards. Any permitted reference to the Award by the winner and shortlisted writers will be outlined by the BBC. Please see: https://www.bbc.com/editorialguidelines/guidelines/competitions-votes-interactivity Entries must be suitable for broadcast or publication by the BBC for audiences of all ages. For further information see BBC Editorial Guidelines. If the story has troubling content, the BBC may take advice from the NSPCC, and may refer to the relevant authorities in accordance with the BBC Child Protection Policy. By submitting the Entry Form the writer guarantees that they or the story they’ve submitted will not bring the BBC into disrepute. To do so would result in disqualification. Ineligible, obscene or fraudulent entries will be automatically disqualified.

ADMINISTRATION AND COMMUNICATION

20. An Entry Form must be submitted at https://truemac.vn/send/u188737214 by 9am (GMT) on Monday 24 March 2025.

21. Entries submitted online will receive an automated acknowledgement. Entries cannot be returned, so remember to keep a copy.

22. An adult who approves an entry for a writer shall be deemed by the act of ticking the check box and providing their contact details on the Entry Form, to have obtained the writer’s informed permission and approval of all terms and conditions contained in these Terms and Conditions and to have taken on the responsibility of guaranteeing and procuring the writer’s compliance with the terms and conditions set out here. If such adult has failed to do so, the Award Team may at its sole discretion disqualify the entry and/or reclaim any award and revise the shortlist and (if applicable) winning entry.

23. The Award Team is responsible for administering the Award and will consist of representatives from the BBC. The Award Team can refuse entry to the Award for any reason it decides is reasonable. The Award Team reserves the right amend these Terms and Conditions, or cancel this Award at any stage, if deemed necessary in its opinion, or if circumstances arise outside of its control.

COPYRIGHT

24. Writers keep the copyright in their stories but grant to the BBC and its licensees a perpetual non-exclusive royalty-free licence for all uses in all media including, but not limited to, to perform, publish, broadcast, podcast and post the story online and on any other platforms yet to be envisaged.

25. Shortlisted stories may be published on the websites of the BBC, its partner Cambridge University, and national media or other content providers to celebrate your success and promote the award. Shortlisted stories may be published in an official BBC Young Writers’ Award booklet or Anthology. If this happens, the writer will be deemed to have granted the rights for such publication and distribution (including via electronic distribution such as Kindle, Kobo or Nook devices), and for future award publications. The rights for publication will be non-exclusive, with no bar on publication rights elsewhere. The writer retains the moral right to be identified as the author of their story. This licence will be deemed to include all the necessary rights and permissions to enable such use by the BBC, to fulfil the Award and to complete the administration of this award. By submitting a story the entrant agrees that the BBC may in its sole discretion edit, adapt or abridge it for the sole purposes of broadcast and other activities set out above.

GENERAL

26. The writer understands and agrees that the BBC (or any of its affiliates or partners) is not responsible for any loss or damage in relation to this Award, to the fullest extent under the law.

27. The BBC and Cambridge University do not accept responsibility for any technical failure, malfunction, nor for any other problem with any server, internet access system, programme software, or otherwise which may result in any entry being lost, late or not properly registered or recorded.

28. If any of these clauses should be determined to be illegal, invalid, or otherwise unenforceable then it shall be severed and deleted from these Terms and Conditions and the remaining clauses shall survive, remain in full force and effect.

29. The BBC reserves the right to terminate and revoke the Award if these Terms and Conditions and the BBC Safeguarding Policy are not adhered to.

30. No commercial gain can be made by the entrant from using or referencing the BBC brand, Cambridge University, the award itself or any other element of this awards process.

31. These rules and the entry submitted shall form a contract which is governed by the laws of England and the jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

Your trust is very important to us. This means the BBC is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal data. It is important that you read this notice so that you are aware of how and why we are using such personal data. This privacy notice describes how we collect and use personal data about you during and after your relationship with us, in accordance with data protection law.

Why are we doing this and how can you participate?

We are asking budding young writers to submit an original fictional story of no more than 1,000 words, on any topic, which will be assessed by our panel of expert judges to decide the winner of the BBC Young Writers’ Award 2025.

There will be five (5) writers shortlisted for the BBC Young Writers’ Award with Cambridge University. The shortlisted stories will be narrated by an actor and recorded for an exclusive broadcast on BBC. The stories are also published in an exclusive anthology dedicated to the Award. The five shortlisted writers will be invited to take part in a creative writing workshop with a leading writer and a tour of BBC Broadcasting House in central London, followed by the Award ceremony, which will be broadcast live by Radio 4’s flagship arts programme, Front Row.

Your personal data will be collected via an online platform used by the BBC.

Individuals who are shortlisted will be invited to participate in various activities to promote and share their story.

For information in relation to how the BBC will process your personal data where you are providing contributions to our programmes, please see our Privacy Notice for Contributors here.

What personal data will the BBC collect and how will we use it?

There are two types of personal data: personal data and special category data. Special category data is still personal data, but its processing by the BBC requires the BBC to follow additional compliance steps.

We will use the personal data listed below to:

• administer the awards,
• obtain the relevant permissions,
• communicate with you on matters relating to the awards, and,
• if you are shortlisted, to publish information about you and your story on the BBC’s website and Cambridge University’s website.

Personal data

You must be between 14 and 18 years old to participate.

If you are 16 years or older, the BBC will collect and process the following personal data about you:

• Your first name and surname
• Your date of birth
• Your gender
• Your email address and phone number
• Your nationality/residence
• Your postal address
• Your submission
• If you are shortlisted, we will also process any biographical information that you provide to us as well as your image.

If you are under 16 years of age, the BBC will collect the following personal data about you:

• Your first name and surname
• Your date of birth
• Your gender
• Your submission
• If you are shortlisted, we will also process any biographical information you provide to us and your image.

The BBC may also collect and process special category data about you, depending on what information you share with us. This could include:

• Racial or ethnic origin
• Religious or philosophical beliefs
• Health information

If you are under 16 years of age, the BBC will collect the following personal data about your parent/guardian:

• Full name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Postal address

If required, the BBC will contact the author’s parent/guardian/teacher (if the entrant is aged under 16) or will contact the entrant directly if aged 16 or over, using the contact details provided. For the top 50 long-listed entries, if permission to enter was given by a teacher rather than a parent or guardian, the BBC will contact the teacher and ask for confirmation of permission from the author’s parent or guardian.

The BBC may collect the following information for all authors to verify that you meet the eligibility criteria that you are a UK resident:

• Parent/guardian’s proof of UK residency through a utility bill.

Background Checks

The BBC may also carry out further background checks on the five shortlisted entrants, such as online and social media screening checks. The BBC will use the personal data processed as part of background checks to verify you meet the eligibility criteria. Information returned as part of a background check may not rule you out of the awards, but non-disclosure of such information which is later discovered may result in your exclusion from the Awards.

Who is the Data Controller?

The BBC is the “data controller” of your personal data. This means that the BBC decides what your personal data is used for, and the ways in which it is processed. For the avoidance of doubt, your personal data will be collected and processed solely for the purposes set out in this privacy notice. As the data controller, the BBC has the responsibility to comply, and to demonstrate compliance with, data protection law.

Lawful basis for processing your personal data

For the purpose of running the awards, the lawful basis on which the BBC processes the personal data and special category data is the performance of its public task. The additional condition on which the BBC processes your special category data is substantial public interest related to statutory and governmental purposes. The BBC’s role is to act in the public interest and to serve all audiences with content which informs, educates, and entertains. 

This is consistent with the BBC’s wider public purposes under its Royal Charter, which states that the BBC, “should provide specialist educational content to help support learning for children and teenagers across the United Kingdom. It should encourage people to explore new subjects and participate in new activities through partnerships with educational, sporting and cultural institutions.”  

The lawful basis on which the BBC processes personal data for background checks is our legitimate interest in evaluating and assessing your application to ensure that we shortlist entrants who are suitable for the awards.The BBC has a legitimate interest to select appropriate entrants whose values align with the BBC’s. We have carefully considered the impact on you and will not use your personal data where the impact overrides our interests.

The BBC have a legal obligation to process the personal data of the winners to comply with relevant competition regulations.

Sharing your personal data

The BBC works with our approved third-party providers who help us to provide some of our services. These partners only use your personal data on behalf of the BBC and not independently of the BBC.

The BBC works with approved third-party providers who help us to provide some of our services. These partners only use your personal data on behalf of the BBC and not independently of the BBC. We currently use a third-party supplier to provide the BBC with the uploader form used for this project.

The following information will be shared with the judges, who are literary professions, for submissions that are shortlisted and highly commended:

• Story title;
• Entrant names; and
• Town/region of residence

This information will also be shared with Cambridge University who is the BBC’s partner in administering the award.

Shortlisted entrants’ name, age and story title may be published online on the BBC’s website and Cambridge University’s website.

Your personal data will not be shared with any other third parties unless required or permitted by the law.

Retaining your personal data

The personal data of the successful author and, where applicable, their parent/guardian/teacher will be stored by the BBC for a period of two (2) years for regulatory and compliance purposes.

The name and gender of the author and title of the submitted story of all participants will be retained for six (6) years in order to run future awards. All other personal data from the submission will be deleted by 4 November 2025.

Contributions that are broadcast and/or published will be retained and archived in perpetuity.

Your personal data will be stored in the UK and the European Economic Area (EEA).

Your rights and more information

You have rights under data protection law:

• You can request a copy of the personal data the BBC stores about you.
• You have the right to request that we rectify any inaccurate or incomplete personal data that we hold about you.
• You have the right to ask for the personal data we collect about you to be deleted, however there are limitations and exceptions to this right which may entitle the BBC to refuse your request.
• In certain circumstances you have the right to restrict the processing of your personal data, or to object to the processing of your personal data.
• You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal data to you or to another organisation, in certain circumstances.

You can contact our, Data Protection Officer if you have questions or you wish to find out more details about your rights, please visit the BBC’s Privacy and Cookies Policy at http://https://truemac.vn/privacy.

If you have a concern about the way the BBC has handled your personal data, you can raise your concern with the supervisory authority in the UK, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) https://ico.org.uk/.

Updating this privacy notice

We will revise the privacy notice if there are significant changes to how we use your personal data.