WICKED Launches Fourth Annual Young Writers' Award

Wicked, the global musical phenomenon that tells the incredible untold story of the Witches of Oz, has announced the fourth year of its "prestigious Wicked Young Writers' Award" (The Times). Spearheaded by Michael Morpurgo, award-winning creator of War Horse, the Award recognises excellence in writing, encourages creativity, and helps develop writing talent in young people between 5-25 years of age from all backgrounds and areas of the UK & Ireland.

The Award was established in order to link the important messages of the long-running musical with a competition that would inspire young people to use their writing to look at life a little differently. The Award is championed by Patron Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall. Assisting Michael Morpurgo with the judging process will be Michael McCabe, Executive Producer of WICKED, and Jonathan Douglas, the director of the National Literacy Trust, and Dean Atta, acclaimed poet and playwright.

Michael McCabe said in a statement: "As Wicked continues in London and also embarks on its first ever UK & Ireland Tour, I am hugely excited at the prospect of engaging even more young people with this fantastic creative writing scheme and delighted that this year we have been able to extend the geographic reach to include Ireland as well as the UK"

Michael Morpurgo praised the scheme: "I am delighted to be involved in the Wicked Young Writers' Award. We all have a story to tell or a poem to sing. The problem is finding the voice to sing it. The Wicked Young Writers' Award, with teachers and parents, helps to inspire so many young people to write passionately and from the heart, and to celebrate their own unique voice."

The 2013/14 Wicked Young Writers' Award opens for entries today (9 September 2013) and will run concurrently with the school year until Spring 2014. Writing styles can vary from poetry to prose and young people will be judged according to five age categories: 5-7, 8-10, 11-14, 15-17 and 18-25.

A shortlist of 100 entrants will be invited to a very special prize event at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in Summer 2014. All 100 shortlisted entrants will see their poem or story published in the Wicked Young Writers' Award Anthology. Winners from each of the four age-categories will be announced and will receive a certificate signed by Michael Morpurgo and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, the Wicked Young Writers' Award Anthology and £50 books/eBooks tokens to spend, as well as £100 worth of books for their school library donated by Hachette Children's Books.

Entries can be submitted individually or as part of a school group and both online and postal entries are accepted.

Get involved today at WickedYoungWriters.com.

Photo by: Matt Crockett

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