Children’s Short Story Competition

Every year the Daunt Books Short Story competition celebrates the wonderful creativity of children’s writing so why not get writing (or typing) and help make this another fantastic year. You might even have your story published, along with the other winners, in a book!

The winners’ anthology will have a cover designed by illustrator David Roberts and will be introduced by Sabine Adeyinka, author of Jummy at the River School series

The Rules:

  • The competition is open to children between the ages of 4 and 15
  • All entries must be submitted by an adult capable of giving permission on behalf of the child – parent/guardian or the child’s teacher who has obtained the parent or guardian’s permission.
  • The story must be entirely the work of the child
  • Entries can be up to 1500 words
  • Entries must be submitted before 31st January 2024

How to Enter:

Please upload your entry using the form below. You can upload your file as a PDF or Word document. Alternatively you can drop off or post your entry to your nearest Daunt Books, along with your name, full postal address and email.

For teachers submitting multiple entries, please download the Schools entry form Here, and submit as a cover sheet with the pupil’s names on each submitted story. You can do this by post, by hand or by email at  [email protected]. We ask that you only do so where parents/guardians have given their permission (Please direct them to the Privacy Policy below – here’s a useful link to include in any email : www.dauntbooks.co.uk/short-story-competition) and where that’s not possible please encourage individual online entry.

Competition Closes 31st January 2024. Good luck!


Competition Privacy Policy

When you enter the competition we record some personal information about you and the child whose entry you are submitting, we take care of this and only use it to administer the competition. We do this with your permission, and if you click on the button below you can read more about this. You can withdraw your entry and permission at any time.

When you enter the competition, we record and use some personal information about you and your child/ a child you are responsible for. With every entry this may include the names and addresses of you and the child whose story you are entering, the child’s age, their school, their relationship to you, and your email and telephone number.
We store this information securely, and we use it solely in administering this competition. We do not use it for any marketing purposes, and we do not share it with any third parties except with your further permission if your child wins and their work and name is published in book form.
You can withdraw your permission for us to keep and use this personal information at any time, and you can correct it if you think we have recorded anything incorrectly. To have your information removed or changed, please email [email protected], or write to The Data Protection manager, Daunt Books, 83 Marylebone High Street, London W1U 4QW.
Except in the case of published stories, we will only hold the personal information listed above for 6 months after the closing date of the competition.

Our full Privacy Policy is available here