The Solstice Nature Prize for Young Writers 2026 is Open for Entries

The Solstice Nature Prize for Young Writers 2026 is officially open for entries! This year, Writing East Midlands is seeking 500-word short stories, 500-word blogs or 40-line poems from young writers across the UK—all on the theme of nature, the environment and issues related to climate change!

The Solstice creative writing competition is open to writers aged 7-25, with four age categories to enter (7-11, 12-14, 15-17 and 18-25) and prizes on offer for the first-place winner and five highly commended entries in each category. Prizes include: £100, goody bags and publication in our online anthology.

Writers can respond to the theme of nature as closely or as loosely as they wish. What they’re really looking for is something original and imaginative, a piece of writing that offers a considerate and fresh perspective from the UK’s emerging creative talent. Whether your young writer wants to explore their favourite place in nature, their hopes for the future of our planet or a topic as big as the climate crisis, they’re keen to know what the next generation of creatives have to say about the world we live in.

As part of their continued effort to encourage and support the creative development of young people, Writing East Midlands is pleased to offer free entry to every writer submitting their work to the Solstice Nature Prize. Young writers can enter one short story, poem or blog each.

Solstice is a stellar opportunity for young writers to develop their skillset as part of a fun summer project or a back-to-school lesson plan to prep them for future exams. Through this creative writing competition, they hope to inspire and encourage young people to really consider and make connections with their natural environment.

The Solstice Nature Prize for Young Writers closes in just under 6 weeks on 10th until October 2026 at 11.59 pm.

To enter an individual young writer’s work, please visit the Solstice webpage on our website, available here:

https://writingeastmidlands.co.uk/young-writers-groups/solstice-writing-prize/

Or here:

https://bit.ly/WEM_SOLSTICE

If you’re a teacher entering a classroom’s writing, please email info@writingeastmidlands.co.uk for details on how to send over bulk entries.