Young Writer and Illustrator Awards 2010
Children's Books Award
Here at the Ashbooks community, we’re all for introducing children to the worlds of reading and writing at as young as age as possible. That’s why today we’re delighted to bring you news of the Little Tiger Press Young Writer and Illustrator Awards 2010; a chance for children between the ages of 5 and 11 to try their hand at creating their own stories and pictures, inspired by the works of established and best-selling writers and illustrators.
The awards are sponsored by the website PriceMinister Books, where children can find all kinds of games and activities designed to promote creativity in their young minds, as well as download a pack filled with even more ideas to inspire them to create their own stories and pictures. Those who feel up to it can then enter into the Young Writer and Illustrator Awards, by completing one of the challenges outlined below.
To enter the Children’s Books Award, children must read through two short stories on the website and pick one, from which they will create their own illustration, based on the character in the story. The illustration can be done using any medium, but should be on A4 paper, with a background scene and a short sentence describing the characters shown.
To enter the Young Writer’s Award, children must look at the pictures found on the website and consider who the characters are and what their stories might be. They should then choose one of the pictures and write their own short story about the characters in the picture, before submitting it to the awards, where it will be judged by a panel of established authors. The stories should be no longer than 600 words and a reference to which picture the story is written about should appear at the very top of the work.
If children are unsure of how to start, there are plenty of hints and tips on the website to help them out. Author Paul Bright recommends children read as much as they can and try writing in as many different styles as they can think of, to discover which they like best. He also recommends children write about things they know or experiences they’ve had to inspire them. Tracey Corderoy declares that the most important thing is for children to have fun with their writing and write because they want to. She recommends children get to know their characters inside out, let their imaginations run wild and carry a notebook with them, to write down ideas they suddenly have.
