Latest Competitions

Henrietta Branford Writing Competition

The competition aims to find and encourage writers of the future, something Henrietta was always keen to do. This year’s competition theme is inspired by the book that won the Branford Boase Award in 2025, Glasgow Boys by Margaret McDonald.

'A person I know vey well'

The judges of the 2026 Henrietta Branford Writing Competition are asking for writing set in a place you know well or love, or writing about or inspired by someone you know very well. It could even be you!

We’re looking for writing that brings the place or person alive and that holds the judges’ attention too.

You may choose whatever you want to write from the following:

• Ideas from your imagination or something that really happened.
• A short story or a description (no more than 600 words).
• A poem or song lyric (no more than 40 lines).
• You can write less than 600 words or 40 lines but not more.

Think about how your writing will transport our judges to the place you are describing or make them feel they know the person you are writing about. Think about how you will keep them interested too.

If you are thinking of entering, please read this further information about the competition. 

Entry details (please read the full entry instructions attached to this email)

One entry per writer

• Written in English
• Story entries: maximum of 600 words
• Song lyrics, rap lyrics or poems: maximum of 40 lines
• An original piece of writing (story, poem or rap or song lyric) on the theme ‘a place I know well’ or ‘a person I know well’
• Typed on a computer
• Any font, 12pt, black
• Include a front page which details the title of your entry and the word count.
• Please mark your entries Henrietta Branford Writing Competition 2026.
• Make sure you include your name

Closing date: Monday 18^th May 2026. Please email your entry to Mrs Seal following the above criteria carefully.

The Martha Mills Young Writers' Prize 2026

The prize is open to 11–14-year-olds living in the UK.  

The three winning writers will each receive £200 as well as a selection of books and a special souvenir. They will be invited to the London Review Bookshop where the prizes will be awarded. A selection of entries, including the three winners, will be included in a pamphlet, available at the Bookshop.

What they are looking for?

We are looking for writing that is lively and original. It doesn’t have to be perfect or finished – we want to see the work that you’re most proud of or most excited about. Don’t worry if you haven’t written much before or don’t know if you’re a ‘writer’.

Unfortunately, we can’t accept poems (there are other prizes for young poets) but we welcome any piece of prose under 500 words, whether it’s a piece of schoolwork, something from your diary or journal, or a story written just for the fun of it.

You can read the winning entries from last year’s prize in the 2025 Prize pamphlet.

The theme for 2026 is ‘An Unlikely Friend’. You are free to take this in any direction you choose. You might write about something that has affected your life, or the life of someone you know. Or your ideas could be purely imaginative.

Rules and how to enter:

• Entries must be 500 words or fewer
• The prize is open to 11–14-year-olds living in the UK
• Please include your full name, age at the time of writing 
• Send your entry in a Microsoft Word document (.docx format) to Mrs Seal by Monday 22 June
• The winners will be contacted towards the end of the summer 

Becky High Competition Winners!

Young Writers

Congratulations to the following students who entered The Beautiful Truth Young Writers competition!

• Maya M (sixth form)
• Reiyaa Shree P (Year 8)
• Husna S (Year 7)
• Eshal K (Year 7)
• Hannah M (Year 7)
• Aaditri M(Year 7)
• Ammara A (Year 8)

Chiltern Arts Poetry Competition

We are delighted to announce that three of the entries from BHS have been selected in the shortlisted and runner-up categories of the Chiltern Arts Poetry Competition 2025.

• Maya M (sixth form) - runner-up
• Siri V (Year 7) - shortlisted
• Aaditri M (Year 7) - shortlisted

500 Words

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Y7 BHS 500 Words Competition. We received over 50 entries and the standard was very high.  The Year 12 Subject Ambassadors enjoyed reading the stories very much and decided on the following as their top three selection. 

• Mute but not silent by Ellie E (Year 7) 
• Nina M (Year 7 )
• The Last Light of Eldrith by Zaynab-Noor Z (Year 7)

The Martha Mills Young Writers' Prize 2024

Congrats to Alice Grace Baxter in Year 9 who has been selected as a runner-up in The Martha Mills Young Writers' Prize 2024 for her story A Child of Death. You can read Alice's story here. Philip Pullman was one of the judges and Alice's story will appear in the prize winners' pamphlet with the winning entries.