Now accepting entries to competitions for young people aged 7 to 16!

A Short Story competition asks What’s Your Story? Write a narrative based on a person, real or imagined, living in the North of England.

A Book Review competition wants a review of any book you choose: fact, fiction, poetry, graphic novel, you name it! Tell us why it’s great and persuade us to read it too.

Submissions are welcomed from individuals and from schools.

The competitions are free to enter. Simply submit your work and make sure it’s accompanied by an entry form. Find everything you need on The Portico Library’s website.

The closing date for both competitions is midnight, Friday 26 March 2021.

Prizes: Everyone who enters receives a gift pack of a notebook, pencil and bookmark. All schools that enter receive a copy of 100 Black Britons by Angelina Osborne and Patrick Vernon. All winners receive writing mentorships, books and gift packs, and Key Stage 4 winners receive further mentoring, workshops and 1-2-1s with Manchester’s The Writing Squad. Judges: This year Ayesha Ansari-Choudhury (founder of Indie-Bookseller, Mirror Me Write) and Mo Ray (theatre reviewer and editor) judge the Book Review competition. Anna Mainwaring (author of Tulip Taylor and Rebel with a Cupcake) and Okechukwu Nzelu (author of The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney) will judge the Short Story competition. All the judges are very much looking forward to reading the submissions!