or call 020 7404 3400
or call 020 7404 3400
BBC 500 Words 2025 encourages children aged 5-11 years to write a story they would like to read. This annual competition offers a great opportunity for budding writers to get creative and win big prizes.
The winning authors’ books will be illustrated and published. They’ll also win book bundles for their school and attend a glitzy awards ceremony at Buckingham Palace! But there’s another chance to win. Every child who submits a story enters a prize draw. A winner, picked at random, will receive a bundle of books for their school. And Promote Your School will design, print and install a bespoke Wall Art project for their school too.
The Wall Art project will be tailored to support reading and writing. We’ll design the Wall Art bespoke to the school’s requirements and ensure the printed Wall Art perfectly fits the intended wall space.
You can find out all you need to know by visiting the BBC 500 Words website.
In the meantime, here’s a brief overview:
All 500 Words stories must be;
Furthermore, stories must not give any personal details of the child, including their name. And they must not recount an historical event, though they can use a real person or historical character as a source of inspiration. Children may not use AI to create their story either.
Judges will consider the following when choosing the winning stories;
The winning stories will be illustrated and published for the world to enjoy! And, winners will be invited to attend a star-studded awards ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
There’s another great reason for schools to encourage their pupils to enter too. Every child that submits a story will be entered into a random prize draw. Then, one lucky child will win a bundle of books and a bespoke Wall Art project for their school!
Promote Your School will design, print and install the Wall Art project. We’ll guide the winning school through their project, from conception to installation. The design style will inspire reading and writing through images, messages and iconography.
St Nicolas CofE Combined School won Wall Art in last year’s BBC 500 Words Competition. You can find out more about this here.
Wall Art is a visual learning product that can totally transform the interior and exterior of a school building. We create every design in-house and bespoke to each school’s requirements.
It starts with a goal. For BBC 500 Words 2025, we’ll visit the winning school in-person to chat about their aims and review their available space. At this stage, we can share examples of similar projects we’ve completed. We’ll also discuss the benefits of literacy Wall Art specifically, and explain how and why it encourages pupils to read and write.
Once we understand what the school wants to achieve, we’ll put together some artwork. The school can request any changes and provide feedback based on the original design brief. And, once they’re happy to approve the artwork, we’ll print the Wall Art on premium, industrial grade vinyl. Our Wall Art is extremely durable and designed to last many years. It requires zero upkeep and is wipe-clean for any spills and marks!
Finally, the best part of the process…we’ll install the final product in the designated area. For example, a corridor, stairwell, school hall, reception area or department.
Ready to spark creativity this summer? Download and print the 500 Words and Oxford University Press story pack. It’s filled with easy, step-by-step guidance to help young writers bring their stories to life. These can be fun, activities to offer kids over summer! And a great way to encourage children to take part in the fantastic Summer Reading Challenge.which is another way you can win Wall Art for your school too.
Check out more details, inspiration and learning resources on the 500 Words website.
Did you know? You can now register to be a volunteer judge for the competition!
To sign up as a volunteer judge, you must be a Teacher, Teaching Assistant, SEN staff or library staff. You’ll need to supply information for a referee, who can validate that you are able to mark the work for 5-11 year olds. Each volunteer judge will be entered into a random draw. And, if you’re picked, you can attend the grand final in February next year.
*Competition closes 9pm Friday 7 November 2025. For more details and to read the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Notices go to the 500 Words homepage.
We’ll visit your school to understand your goals, explain our process and provide you with a no-obligation quote.
