2025 YWSP now open for entries!
This year’s competition has now opened, and has a closing date of 31st October 2025. To enter you must be between 11 and 19 years old, based in the UK, and have a story of between 800 and 2000 words, set in a time before you were born. Stories can only be submitted by post and we can’t accept electronic entries. Full terms and conditions and an entry form can be downloaded by clicking on this link: Ts and Cs 2025
To get you started, you can find a wealth of inspirational tips and writing advice from published writers and previous winners of the YWSP on our YouTube playlist here – and watch out for our new information hub for young writers, which will be launched on this website soon!
A shortlist will be announced in February 2026 and the judges will then decide on the winners, runners-up and highly commended stories in each category. Shortlistees and winners are notified but we regret we are unable to notify unsuccessful entrants. The two overall category winners will be invited to the Borders Book Festival in June 2026 to receive their prizes – a £500 travel voucher and their work published in our printed Anthology.
If you have any questions about the YWSP, or you’d like a free copy of YWSP Anthologies featuring winning stories from previous years, please do get in touch here. You can also sign up for our newsletter here to get all the latest news, or follow us on social media. Best of luck and happy writing!