Wimbledon Bookfest launch Young Writers Competition and Academy

  • Friday, March 12, 2021

The launch of Wimbledon Bookfest Young Writers Competition was announced last week on none other than World Book Day. The theme is ‘My Name Is’...  and children are invited to submit poems and stories exploring identity. Roehampton’s own research fellow Amy Waite is chair of judges for the competition, continuing the proud partnership that the University of Roehampton has held with the festival each year.

Amy Waite - Young Writers Competition 2021 

Image - Wimbledon Bookfest launch Young Writers Competition and Academy

In order to support the competition, a series of digital events with authors will be relayed to children in schools this March including World Book Day authors Joseph Coelho & Fiona Lumbers and Sita Brahmachari as well as much loved children’s author Caroline Lawrence. All Merton state schools will receive copies of Joseph Coehlo and Sita Brahmachari’s World Book Day books for their children.

Wimbledon Bookfest are also launching a Young Writers Academy to be delivered by University of Roehampton in March for sixth form students, consisting of four one hour sessions led by professional authors to motivate young writers and support them in their applications for the Wimbledon Bookfest Young Writers’ Competition.

These sessions are to be held every Wednesday in March (10, 17, 24, 31) from 4.30-5.30pm. The Academy is completely free and open to students in Years 11 to 13. In order to book a place, students should email Laura Byrne education@wimbledonbookfest.org for more information.

Wimbledon Bookfest are currently planning for the ‘Sunrise’ and ‘Sunset’ Festivals to be held in June (9-13 June) and September (15-19 September), one of the few live literary festivals to take place last year as a result of some quick thinking and successful pivoting of its normal 10 day festival in October to hold a long weekend of Covid safe events in the summer. This year’s festivities will be taking place over 5 days on Wimbledon Common.

For more information on Wimbledon Bookfest please visit the festival’s website.