About

ARTS RICHMOND YOUNG WRITERS FESTIVAL 2025/26

Arts Richmond's annual writing competition for all young people in Richmond.

Deadline for entries: Friday 5th December 2025.

Arts Richmond Young Writers Festival is open to all young people who either live or attend schools or clubs in the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames. It is a chance to demonstrate writing skills, specifically short stories or poems.

Entries are judged in four age groups with prizes for all winning entries. In addition the shortlisted entrants from all the age groups are invited to a gala awards event at The Exchange Theatre in Twickenham on Sunday 15th March 2026 where their work is performed on the stage by a group of young drama students. This involves the poetry and short stories written by around 40 pupils.

We also produce and sell a professionally printed anthology of all the shortlisted pieces of work.

Entry Rules: We have two themes this year – 'My World' and 'Something Extraordinary'. You can choose either of these themes to write a short story which can be any length up to 500 words, or a poem with a maximum of 25 lines.
We are very happy to receive shorter pieces of work. One entry per pupil.

All work must be original and exclusively the entrant's own work – no AI please!

Please do not write your name on the work entries with names identified will be disqualified.

Entries must be in typed format. Hand-written entries will be disqualified.

Entries will be judged in the following categories:

School Years 4 and under

School Years 5 and 6

School Years 7 to 9

School Years 10 and above

Entries to be sent to:

Arts Richmond Young Writers Festival

ETNA Community Centre Room 21

13 Rosslyn Road

Twickenham TW1 2AR

Or email: YWentries@artsrichmond.org.uk

We are delighted to be supported by distinguished author Anthony Horowitz.

I am very happy to be working with Arts Richmond and their Young Writers

Festival. I have recently moved to Richmond and love the area... in fact my recent

book is set here.

More to the point, I'm always keen to encourage young people

to develop their creative skills and if they're living in this area,

there's plenty to inspire them. Just walking along the river, in

the park or on the green, we're surrounded by history and

enchantment and there are stories everywhere. Good luck. And get writing!

Anthony Horowitz