The Young Writers’ Competition is now closed and will open again on 1 February 2027.

It’s that time of year again – the annual Young Writers’ Competition 2026 is live and we’re looking for entries that are Out Of This World. 

The national competition is now in its 5th year and we keep growing. Last year we received over 813 entries from schools all over the country. From Limpopo to the Western Cape, KwaZulu Natal to the North West, you sent in stories that entertained and amazed us.

What happens when your imagination takes flight?

 This is your chance to tell us a story that’s out of this world! Pick a topic below and let your creativity fly free. There’s no limit to the ways you can interpret the topics. From cosmic adventures to powerful inner journeys, we’re looking for writing that goes beyond the ordinary.

Winners in each age group receive a cash prize from Standard Bank Wealth and Investment, a book voucher from Exclusive Books and publication in an online book.

We’re looking forward to being blown away by your talent! We also suggest schools make the competition a part of their English curriculum.

“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.”

Topics:

1. The Galaxy Games
2.  My Space Safari
3. A Message from Tomorrow
4. Off The Grid

Open to ALL school children aged 6-18. For the rules and entry form, go to https://kingsmead.co.za/bookfair/young-writers-comp/ywc-2026/

The competition closes at midnight on 2 April 2026.

Queries (no entries) can be sent to Corinne Rosmarin at kbfyoungwriters@gmail.com

Let us know when you’ve sent your entry in by tagging us on social media.

Follow us on: @Kingsmeadbf (Instagram) and @kingsmeadbookfair (Facebook) Hashtags: #KYW26  #kingsmeadcollege   #KBF26

How is The Book Tree Involved?

The Book Tree is proud to be the founder of the competition, which was started when The Book Tree owner Corinne Rosmarin saw a need to celebrate and inspire a new generation of young writers.  After five years curating the Kingsmead Book Fair’s children’s and young adult programmes, Corinne turned her eye to getting children to write the stories they wanted to read. “I absolutely loved books and writing stories as a child, and I wish there had been a competition of this nature then.  My dream is to involve all schools in South Africa and grow the competition to have categories for the different local languages and a range of genres such as poetry and graphic novels.”