A number of Irish authors have come together to create a children’s short story competition.
Spearheaded by Irish novelist John Boyne, the short story competition hopes to help foster creativity among Irish children and teenagers during the current crisis.
The author of eleven novels for adults and six novels for younger readers, John Boyne is arguably best known for his Holocaust novel The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas. Set in Germany during World War II, the novel tells the story of nine-year-old Bruno and his family. Oblivious to the appalling cruelties being inflicted on the people around him, it’s a heartbreaking read that earned John a number one spot on the New York Times bestseller list.
Enlisting the help of some other well-known Irish authors, John is joined on the judging panel by Cecelia Ahern, Donal Ryan, Claire Kilroy, Anne Griffin and Paul Murray.
The competition features three age categories, each of which will have an overall winner:
- six to 10-year-olds
- 11 to 14-year-olds
- 15 to 18-year-olds
As for the prize, the total prize fund amounts to a whopping €3,600 in Irish Book Tokens. Each overall category winner will receive a €200 national book token. Each category winner will also have five winners of a €100 national book token and 10 winners of a €50 national book token.
Stories must be submitted in word document or pdf format and must be no longer than 300 words. You can check out the full list of terms and conditions for the children’s short story competition here.
That’s one way to keep the kids busy.
