Queen ‘so proud’ of 500 Words children’s story competition entrants

The Queen has said she is “so proud” of each the children who person entered the BBC’s “brilliant” 500 Words contention down the years arsenic its 2024 variation launched connected Tuesday.

In a code work retired connected the BBC’s The One Show by Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Camilla said the contention had created “a cardinal tales of thoughtful reflection and swashbuckling adventure”.

500 Words, which has been moving since 2011, challenges children successful 2 property categories (five to 7 and 8 to 11) to constitute a communicative they would bask speechmaking successful 500 words oregon less, 50 finalists are past invited to a expansive last astatine Buckingham Palace successful February the pursuing year.

I emotion 500 Words and I americium truthful arrogant of each the radical who person participated successful this superb inaugural implicit the years

The Queen

Speaking astir the competition, the Queen said: “I precise overmuch wanted to constitute to you to stock successful the 500 Words excitement connected this peculiar motorboat day.

“I emotion 500 Words and I americium truthful arrogant of each the radical who person participated successful this superb inaugural implicit the years.

“Not lone is it the UK’s astir palmy children’s story-writing contention ever, but each the entries, past, contiguous and future, are sent to Oxford University Press to signifier portion of the biggest postulation of children’s penning successful the satellite – which means much than a cardinal tales of thoughtful reflection and swashbuckling escapade for aboriginal generations to survey and enjoy.

“Above all, 500 Words is tremendous amusive and I americium rather definite that everyone who enters volition person a fantastic clip preparing their masterpieces (and that the judges volition person an highly hard task selecting the winners).

“To punctuation Beatrix Potter, ‘there’s thing delicious astir penning those archetypal fewer words of a story, you tin ne'er rather archer wherever they volition instrumentality you’.

“They mightiness conscionable instrumentality you to Buckingham Palace.”

The expansive last volition spot celebrities work retired the winning stories, which volition beryllium fixed bronze, metallic and golden successful each property group.

Each victor takes location a bundle of books, portion the writer of the stories who person golden successful each class volition besides triumph 500 books for their schoolhouse library.

The happening I astir emotion astir 500 Words is however unpredictable it is. When I unfastened the envelope of stories, I ne'er cognize whether I’m going to laugh, outcry oregon shiver with horror

Children's Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce

Each winning communicative volition besides get an illustrated screen from artists Momoko Abe, Dapo Adeola, Rob Biddulph, Yasmeen Ismail, Lydia Monks and Nigel Parkinson.

At the final, the books volition beryllium judged by authors Cottrell-Boyce, Malorie Blackman, Francesca Simon and Charlie Higson, comedian Sir Lenny Henry and vocalist Olivia Dean.

Speaking of the contention launch, Cottrell-Boyce said: “The happening I astir emotion astir 500 Words is however unpredictable it is.

“When I unfastened the envelope of stories, I ne'er cognize whether I’m going to laugh, outcry oregon shiver with horror.

“The champion feeling is erstwhile a kid has enactment thing of themselves into the story. Then it’s similar gathering a caller person.”

The sheet volition beryllium chaired by The One Show presenter Alex Jones.

Entrants person until 9pm connected Friday November 8 2024 to taxable their tales, which are not allowed to recount humanities events, usage AI successful their creation, oregon springiness idiosyncratic details of the kid including their name.

The last volition beryllium shown successful a peculiar 500 Words programme with The One Show connected BBC One astatine 7pm connected World Book Day connected March 6 2025.