Deadline: 18 February 2011
Harper Collins Big Cat Student Writing Competition
Every Child an Author with the Collins Big Cat Writing Competition
This promotion is open to all children resident in the UK in years 5&6 of primary education (Scottish years P6 and P7), as well as to all school pupils in Europe, the Middle East and Asia following the British school curriculum in the same year groups, except relations of HarperCollins employees (or their parent, subsidiaries or any affiliated companies) and their immediate families, who are not allowed to enter the competition
Ever wanted to be a real author, with your name on the cover of your very own book? Well, now’s your chance. Collins Big Cat is running a fiction writing competition for all children in Years 5 and 6, and we’ll publish the four winning books. You can write a poem about a place or a story inspired by a secret. A poem about a place could be somewhere that you know, visit or live in, it could be based on a small intimate place, or the countryside, a town/city or the seaside, or be somewhere imaginary.
A story inspired by a secret could be your own secret, a secret that someone else has or an old secret, a secret between people, or a secret that’s ‘bigger’ than that, involving the whole school, the community or the country as a whole, or something futuristic. Once you’ve decided whether to write a poem or a story you need to think about characters, setting and a plot! You might want to think about what your favourite books are, and what makes them so good. The winning entries will be published in Blue/Band 4, which means they will be read by children in Year 1, so you’ll need to think about your audience – what they’re interested in and how good their reading is – while you’re writing. It needs to be between 90 and 170 words, and if your work is one of the winners we’ll have it illustrated and made into a book. You’ll be a real author, so get thinking and get writing!
Collins Big CatWriting Competition 2011:
Teachers’ Guidelines
The competition is for a piece of free writing in one of the following two genres: poetry and prose.
To get children started, there is a theme for each genre: the poem – inspired by a place, which could be somewhere that the child knows, visits or lives in, it could be based on a small intimate place, or the countryside, a town/city or the seaside, or be somewhere imaginary; the story – inspired by a secret, which could be the child’s own secret, a secret that someone else has or an old secret, a secret between people, or a secret that’s ‘bigger’ than that, involving the whole school, the community or the country as a whole, or something futuristic.
The writing competition is open to all children in Years 5 and 6, Scottish P6 and P7 (between 8-10 years old). Entries need to be between 90 and 170 words. The winning entries will all be published in Blue/Band 4, so the target audience is Year 1 children. The judges will shortlist the top 20/30 entries and select the winning four entries from those, two from each year, which will both be published within the Collins Big Cat series. The winning four submissions will be selected by Series Editor Cliff Moon and former Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen. The four winners will be announced at the end of March 2011 on www.collinsbigcat.com/writingcompetition and notified by post. As well as having their pupil’s work published, the schools of the two winners will receive a selection of Collins Big Cat books including a copy signed by Michael Rosen.
Entries will be judged on whether the piece of writing is unique and fresh, whether it has a coherent structure, so is full and finished, whether the themes have been used and whether it has been written with the target audience in mind.
The closing date for entries is 18th February 2011. You can find lots of extra resources and information to help you on www.collinsbigcat.com/writingcompetition including details of last year’s winners for inspiration.
How to Enter
Print the entry form included in this pack (page 4) – fill in your details and photocopy for each of your pupils. Obtain a signed parent/guardian permission slip(page 5) for each entry. Send in all entries by Friday 18th February 2011, complete with your school’s details and a signed parent/guardian permission slip.
If you have any questions please contact deborah.foulkes@harpercollins.co.uk
The entry form can be found here.
Harper Collins Big Cat Student Writing Competition
Every Child an Author with the Collins Big Cat Writing Competition
This promotion is open to all children resident in the UK in years 5&6 of primary education (Scottish years P6 and P7), as well as to all school pupils in Europe, the Middle East and Asia following the British school curriculum in the same year groups, except relations of HarperCollins employees (or their parent, subsidiaries or any affiliated companies) and their immediate families, who are not allowed to enter the competition
Ever wanted to be a real author, with your name on the cover of your very own book? Well, now’s your chance. Collins Big Cat is running a fiction writing competition for all children in Years 5 and 6, and we’ll publish the four winning books. You can write a poem about a place or a story inspired by a secret. A poem about a place could be somewhere that you know, visit or live in, it could be based on a small intimate place, or the countryside, a town/city or the seaside, or be somewhere imaginary.
A story inspired by a secret could be your own secret, a secret that someone else has or an old secret, a secret between people, or a secret that’s ‘bigger’ than that, involving the whole school, the community or the country as a whole, or something futuristic. Once you’ve decided whether to write a poem or a story you need to think about characters, setting and a plot! You might want to think about what your favourite books are, and what makes them so good. The winning entries will be published in Blue/Band 4, which means they will be read by children in Year 1, so you’ll need to think about your audience – what they’re interested in and how good their reading is – while you’re writing. It needs to be between 90 and 170 words, and if your work is one of the winners we’ll have it illustrated and made into a book. You’ll be a real author, so get thinking and get writing!
Collins Big CatWriting Competition 2011:
Teachers’ Guidelines
The competition is for a piece of free writing in one of the following two genres: poetry and prose.
To get children started, there is a theme for each genre: the poem – inspired by a place, which could be somewhere that the child knows, visits or lives in, it could be based on a small intimate place, or the countryside, a town/city or the seaside, or be somewhere imaginary; the story – inspired by a secret, which could be the child’s own secret, a secret that someone else has or an old secret, a secret between people, or a secret that’s ‘bigger’ than that, involving the whole school, the community or the country as a whole, or something futuristic.
The writing competition is open to all children in Years 5 and 6, Scottish P6 and P7 (between 8-10 years old). Entries need to be between 90 and 170 words. The winning entries will all be published in Blue/Band 4, so the target audience is Year 1 children. The judges will shortlist the top 20/30 entries and select the winning four entries from those, two from each year, which will both be published within the Collins Big Cat series. The winning four submissions will be selected by Series Editor Cliff Moon and former Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen. The four winners will be announced at the end of March 2011 on www.collinsbigcat.com/writingcompetition and notified by post. As well as having their pupil’s work published, the schools of the two winners will receive a selection of Collins Big Cat books including a copy signed by Michael Rosen.
Entries will be judged on whether the piece of writing is unique and fresh, whether it has a coherent structure, so is full and finished, whether the themes have been used and whether it has been written with the target audience in mind.
The closing date for entries is 18th February 2011. You can find lots of extra resources and information to help you on www.collinsbigcat.com/writingcompetition including details of last year’s winners for inspiration.
How to Enter
Print the entry form included in this pack (page 4) – fill in your details and photocopy for each of your pupils. Obtain a signed parent/guardian permission slip(page 5) for each entry. Send in all entries by Friday 18th February 2011, complete with your school’s details and a signed parent/guardian permission slip.
If you have any questions please contact deborah.foulkes@harpercollins.co.uk
The entry form can be found here.
