Olivia Colman, McFly's Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones to read winning stories at the BBC 500 Words Grand Final in February
The judges of the UK's most successful children's writing competition, BBC 500 Words met today at Buckingham Palace to deliberate the overall winners from almost 44,000 entries.
Six winning stories will be read by celebrities at the grand final taking place at Buckingham Palace in February. Olivia Colman will read one of the winning stories, with best friends and McFly bandmates Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones reading another. It is the first time there has been a duo announcing a winner. The identities of the remaining celebrity readers will be revealed in the coming weeks.
The young winners will have the chance to meet Her Majesty The Queen, who has championed the competition every year since 2015.
Chaired by The One Show's Alex Jones, the judges - Sir Lenny Henry, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Francesca Simon, Charlie Higson, Olivia Dean and Malorie Blackman - discussed who will win the iconic prizes at the grand final.
A glimpse into the judges deliberating over the 50 finalists' stories was showcased on The One Show this evening.
Helen Foulkes, Head of BBC Education, says: 'It's fantastic to see how many children were inspired to get their ideas down on paper for this year's BBC 500 Words competition. With the help of our partners, we've worked even harder this year to reach out to more children and make 500 Words even more inclusive. From right across the UK, almost 44,000 children have answered that call to unleash their imaginations. The grand final is going to be a very special celebration of the UK's fabulous young storytellers.'
50 finalists, along with their parents or carers, have been invited to attend the grand final next month at Buckingham Palace with The Queen. The event will feature in a special 500 Words programme on The One Show, airing on World Book Day®, Thursday 6 March 2025.
At the event, the bronze, silver and gold winners of both age groups, 5-7 and 8-11, will receive a selection of exciting prizes, including having their stories read by famous faces and a bundle of books to help fuel their passion for writing and continue their love of the written word.
The winning stories will be illustrated by children's illustrators, framed, and put into a 500 Words winners' book. The illustrators, co-ordinated by Anderson Press, are Momoko Abe, Dapo Adeola, Rob Biddulph, Yasmeen Ismail, Lydia Monks and Nigel Parkinson.
Stories from the 50 finalists will be recorded by the BBC Radio Drama Company and published to the BBC Teach website.
BBC Teach run 500 Words in partnership with: Anderson Press, Beano, EFL in the Community, HeadteacherChat, Libraries Connected, National Book Tokens, National Literacy Trust, Oxford University Press, Pobble, Premier League Primary Stars, Publishers Association, The Reading Agency and World Book Day.
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