The deadline for the submission of entries for the 2016 national creative writing competition has been extended to October 31, 2016. The competition, which is endorsed by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), is an annual, free-to-enter contest organised by MyRainbowBooks Limited to help develop children’s creative thinking and writing skills. It is open to children aged five to 16 years who are either resident in Nigeria or from Nigeria. The themes for this year’s competition are: One Sunny Day, The Goal That Was Not Scored, The Stolen Prize, Gratitude, The Stranger, New Kid on The Block, The Call, and Being Different.
The entries for the competition can be either a poem or a short story, but must explore one of the above themes. The word limit for a short story is 1000 words, and the word limit for a poem is 250 words. The judges in the 2016 competition are H.E. Hadiza El-Rufai (Author and Founder/CEO of Yasmin El-Rufai Foundation), Chigozie Obioma (Award-winning author of The Fishermen), C. C. Adetula (Author, The Perfect Girl, The Prostitute and Other Stories) and Nard Choi (Children’s Literature Scholar, University of Cambridge).
The 2016 competition is sponsored by the Education Gaps Linkage Initiative and Emerging Platform Groups, and supported by various organisations and companies including Marvelous Mike Press, Fenan Digital Prints ltd., Mattini Book Club, Hatlab Ice Cream Delite, All About Kids Limited, and Book River etc. Individuals and schools may participate in the competition by sending their entries to myrainbowbooks@yahoo.com, or submitting their entries at any of the designated centres for submission. Participation in the competition has many benefits including a chance at publication. Various prizes and awards will be given to the schools and children that send in outstanding entries, and the best entries will be published in the widely read and recognized MyRainbowBooks Children’s Collection.
