Short Story Competition 2025/26

Entry is now open for the Leukaemia Cancer Society Short Story Competition 2025/26. With leukaemia still threatening the lives and security of thousands, the Leukaemia Cancer Society is looking to use creative writing as a way of raising awareness and funds for its life-saving work and support services. Leukaemia is an aggressive Cancer requiring aggressive treatment and one of the biggest killers of Children, Teenagers & Young Adults in the UK.

The Short story Competition is open to all UK children aged between 7 - 15 years old. Students are invited to enter their short stories, and battle it out for the opportunity to have their work published.

This year’s theme is ‘A Day in My Life’. We’re inviting young writers of all ages to write their own short story up to 500 words. Everyone loves to talk about their own adventures, it can be fact or fiction, let’s get them involved today!

Enter your students/children into the competition and they could be published in a real book and receive a certificate. There are also prizes to be won!

The entries will be judged by a published author. There will be a winner from each of the three categories and the three winning entries, as well as those which made the final shortlist, will be published in the resulting book.

All finalists will be invited to an awards ceremony, where they will meet the judging author, receive a certificate and a copy of the book and family and friends will have the opportunity to purchase the book at a discounted rate. The three prize-winners and overall winner will receive a prize and all participating schools will receive a certificate.

• There is an entry donation of £2 per student.
• All entries submitted must arrive no later than the 20th March 2026.

• Competition rules
• Get in contact for more information