Aspiring young wordsmiths are challenged to pen ’Life in Lockdown’ inspired short story Canary Wharf Group has widened the search for the next generation of literary sparks, urging young creative gems from all corners of the country, to put pen to paper. Fresh talents are asked to scribble a one, three or five-minute short story that gives an inventive spin on their lockdown experience. The deadline for the inaugural competition has now been extended to Tuesday 30th June and will be the first-time adolescent authors have the chance to be added to the Estate’s short story dispensers. As stories should be fictional, young authors are encouraged to let their imaginations flare whilst reflecting on their own life during lockdown such as, new skills learned, new experiences whilst stuck indoors, and positives/negatives of being schooled from home.
The competition will give budding young talent the chance to shine, with the top 10 entrants having their work featured on the Short Story Stations later this year. The overall winner of the competition will receive a £150 Canary Wharf Gift Card. The Short Story Stations at Canary Wharf were the first of their kind to be launched in the UK, and print either one, three- or five-minute stories on demand using eco-friendly papyrus paper. Since their debut in April last year, featuring an exclusive short story from Anthony Horowitz, the stations have printed an incredible 108,272 stories – short yet tantalising tales that aim to help Londoners escape the monotony of their commute through reading scrolls, not scrolling phones. Following on from the Short Story Stations’ success on the Canary Wharf estate, the competition aims to keep the love of literacy alive during this time and give children a creative outlet during home schooling. The competition has also been distributed to schools in the Tower Hamlets area to encourage entries from the next generation of potential authors. To continue to bring the community together through these times, Canary Wharf Group has also introduced similar initiatives, such as an architecture competition for schools in the local borough. On the lookout for fiction’s future superstars, the Short Story Stations young writers competition is open and taking entries until midday on Tuesday 30th June.
Lucie Moore, Head of Arts + Events, Canary Wharf Group says:
“We know how much the Short Story Stations have been enjoyed on the Estate over the last year by all who live, work and visit here. With unprecedented time spent indoors it feels like the perfect time to offer young writers the opportunity to contribute with their own stories of lockdown life, and we can’t wait to read what creative tales this competition will undoubtedly produce.”
To view full Ts & Cs for the competition please visit website. The full library, featuring authors including Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll and Virginia Woolf can be viewed via canarywharf.short-edition.com/