Enter the Kingsmead Young Writers' Competition 2026
All South African schoolchildren aged 6-18 are invited to enter the annual Young Writers’ Competition 2026.
What happens when your imagination takes flight? This is your chance to tell us a story that’s Out Of This World!
Encouraging a culture of reading and writing, the annual Kingsmead Young Writers’ Competition (YWC) is in its fifth year and gaining ground with school children everywhere. Each year we increase our number of entries, with 813 entries from around the country in 2025.
Launched in 2022 by Kingsmead College, as a branch of their annual Kingsmead Book Fair, the YWC aims to provide a platform for young South Africans to explore their creative writing skills. Kingsmead College is a leading girls’ school in Johannesburg with a commitment to the promotion of literacy across all age groups and cultures.
We know South Africa faces a reading crisis, so why the focus on creative writing? Crafting a story fires up the imagination, getting children off their screens and onto a blank page - a safe space to express themselves and build their communication skills.
“Story telling is at the heart of human experience, promoting empathy, connection and understanding,” says YWC organiser Corinne Rosmarin. “When you write a story you also build skills like planning and problem solving, which encourage a flexible and open mindset.” A report by the World Economic Forum noted that creative thinking skills are the top priority for employers. Artificial Intelligence can’t match human creativity, which is fuelled by emotion, experience and intuition.
Writing is also a wonderful outlet for young people to share their thoughts, feelings and perspective of the world around them. Advice for young entrants is to read short stories and look at how to keep the reader gripped from the beginning to the end. “Avoid cliches and let your imagination run wild. Your story could be a cosmic adventure, a powerful inner journey, or an ode to the future. Don’t be limited by the literal understanding of the topics,” says Rosmarin.
This year’s Out Of This World theme asks young writers to submit an original creative short story based on one of four topics.
1. The Galaxy Games
2. My Space Safari
3. A Message from Tomorrow
4. Off The Grid
Each age group has a different word count. Prizes for the winning entry in each age group include cash prizes from Standard Bank Wealth and Investment, book vouchers from Exclusive Books, feedback from the judges and publication in an online eBook.
“We were thrilled with the incredible number of submissions last year, with some schools encouraging whole classes to enter their creative writing pieces. I challenge all English teachers across our country to promote this competition within their classes,” says Alex Bouche, Kingsmead Book Fair Director. “It is with a love of reading and writing that we can change the trajectory of literacy among our youth. We look forward to receiving this year’s stories!”
Winners will be announced on social media mid-May 2026. For the rules and entry form, check out https://kingsmead.co.za/bookfair/young-writers-comp/ywc-2026/
Competition dates: Launches 2 February 2026 and closes Thursday 2 April 2026