500 Words
500 Words
Everything you need to know about 500 Words
From prizes to the final, and everything in between, here's all you need to know.
Inspire children to write their best story
Watch through our playlist of inspirational authors, previous winners/ finalists and judges who share their top tips for writing a story.
Learning resources for ages 5-11
Help children craft their stories in the classroom or at home with our collection of age-appropriate learning resources for ages 5-11.
An overview of 500 Words
From judges to prizes, here's everything you need to know.
Sign up as a volunteer judge
Be a part of 500 Words and read children's stories as a volunteer judge - here's what's involved.
Our partners
500 Words is proud to deliver a competition that is accessible to all, but that wouldn't be possible without our amazing partners.
Frequently asked questions
Click here for more information about prizes, the final, or how to enter.
Terms and conditions
These are the rules for entering the BBC 500 Words writing competition.
Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Olly Murs and more share their top writing tips
Check out these top tips on starting writing and finding inspiration from your favourite celebrities.
Joseph Coelho: "Observe the world around you"
The former Children's Laureate and 'Luna Loves...' writer has shared his top tips to kickstart story writing. Catch up on advice from other previous Children's Laureates here.
Julia Donaldson: "Read your story aloud"
The Gruffalo author, Julia Donaldson, shares her top tips for writing a 500 Words story. Play the clip to your students in class to inspire them to put the pen to paper!
Jamie Oliver's advice for children who are dyslexic
Dyslexia can create a barrier to some children when writing their 500 Words story, so we reached out to TV Chef and children's author, Jamie Oliver, for some of his top tips.
CBeebies' George Webster shares his inspiration for writing
The CBeebies presenter and Strictly star, now turned children's author, George Webster, spills what helps him write an inspiring story.
Who am I? Creating characters
Inspire children to build their stories with our animated films - watch the playlist to complete a story in five simple steps!
Thinking Sheets from Crayola
Download the Thinking Sheets from Crayola - four creative exercises to get stories flowing from younger children.
Pobble story starters
Use Pobble's creative story starters to kickstart storywriting.
Lesson activities for help writing stories for 500 Words
Download the story building booklet from Oxford University Press, which helps children craft their story through simple steps.
Who am I? Creating characters
Watch our playlist of five short animated videos, which breakdown story writing into bitesize chunks for 7-11 year olds.
500 Words 2024 – Live Lesson
Inspire your class to write a story they would love to read with our 500 Words Live Lesson. With additional downloadable resources for your classroom.
Unleash story writing with '5 Fab Story Hacks' from Beano
Download Beano’s 5 Fab Story Hacks, a quick, creative boost to get young writers excited and writing.
How reading for pleasure can inspire children to write stories
Try these resources in collaboration with World Book day to help pupils with their story writing.
