'Wicked Writers' Competition Will Return to Schools in 2025

The new year will mark the launch of the next iteration of Wicked Writers: Be the Change, a writing competition devised by the National Literacy Trust and celebrated stage musical Wicked (as part of its acclaimed Wicked Active Learning cultural and social education programme), to inspire pupils across the UK to write and use their voices to change the world for the better. 

Now in its third year, the competition is based on the themes of one of the most well-known songs from the musical, ‘For Good’, and this year the theme of local change challenges pupils aged 9 – 14 to write persuasively about any kind of positive change they would like to see in their community.

Last year, the competition asked children to use their entries to write about their passion for the environment and the response was huge, with over 1,600 submissions from pupils inspired by the positive themes of Wicked. 

Earlier this year, research from the National Literacy Trust found that children and young people’s enjoyment of writing and daily writing habits are at an all-time low, meaning that 7 in 10 (71.3%) are missing out on the associated benefits to their writing skills, critical thinking skills, confidence, creativity and wellbeing [1]. 

However, having the opportunity to take part in writing competitions can have a positive impact. Indeed, twice as many children and young people who had taken part in writing competitions reported that they enjoyed writing (43.7% vs 21.7%) and wrote daily (16.2% vs 8.3%) in their free time compared with those who didn’t enter a competition. With more than a quarter (28%) of 11-year-olds leaving primary school last year unable to write at the expected level for their age [2], inspiring children to engage with and enjoy writing through competitions like Wicked Writers: Be the Change is more important than ever. 

One winner and one runner-up will be selected in each category (Years 5-6 and Years 7-9). All 16 shortlisted pupils will see their work published in an anthology and receive a bundle of brand-new books for their school. Winners will receive class tickets to see the acclaimed musical Wicked at London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre.

Tim Judge, Head of Schools Programmes at the National Literacy Trust said: “Last year an incredible 1,600 young people entered the competition, putting their hopes and fears for the environment on paper. Teachers told us that giving young people the opportunity to write about what matters to them improved their writing enjoyment, confidence and their motivation. Be the Change is all about listening to young people's voices and showing them that writing can be an empowering experience that makes a difference in their world; we can't wait to learn from this year's young activists about the local changes they want to see in their communities."

Interested teachers can sign up now to get their class involved to inspire their writing and have the chance to win some amazing prizes.

The competition, along with a supportive learning resource pack, including curriculum-linked lesson plans, will launch in January. Sign up to hear the latest news: www.https://literacytrust.org.uk/programmes/young-writers/wicked-writers-be-the-change/

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