19 Oct 23
Coram Voice today launches its eighth annual edition of Voices, the creative writing competition for children in care and young care leavers across the country.
The competition, sponsored by UK management consultancy Cadence Innova, will be open for entries from 19 October to 17 December 2023 and winners will be announced in early 2024.
Coram Voice, a leading charity championing the rights of care-experienced children and young people, is calling on all children and young people in and around the care system to enter the competition and get their voices heard.
The theme of this year’s competition is ‘What Makes Me Different?’ and entries can be in any written form including poems, short stories, raps or newspaper articles, with a 500-word limit. There are four age categories: primary school (5-10), lower secondary school (age 11-14), upper secondary school (age 15-17) and care leavers (age 18-25).
Entries will be judged by an expert panel of acclaimed children’s authors, some of whom are care-experienced. Previous judges include the former Children’s Laureate Lauren Child, Waterstones Children’s Book award winner Patrice Lawrence, and the multi award-winning children’s author Jarvis. Judges for the 2024 edition are due to be announced shortly, alongside a group of young judges who were finalists in previous years of the competition.
Rosie, runner-up in the Voices 2022 Primary School category, said: “When I found out I was shortlisted, I was so excited that I could share my story with people that had experienced the same things as me. At the awards, I read out my story in front of everyone – I was really nervous but after I was really proud of myself.”
Brigid Robinson, Managing Director of Coram Voice, said: “Care-experienced children and young people have incredibly powerful stories to tell and I am blown away by their honesty, authenticity and creativity. The Voices competition is the chance for young people to write about what matters to them most, to be heard, and to feel proud of themselves. Every year, I hear about the successes and achievements of former Voices finalists and winners, it reminds me of why we run this competition. I can’t wait to read this year’s entries!”
Gita Singham-Willis, Founding Partner at Cadence Innova, said: “Supporting Coram Voice and their crucial work with children and young people in care, is something we are immensely proud of. The Voices Awards is an inspiring competition that champions children’s creativity and enables them to express themselves – a purpose very close to our heart at Cadence Innova as we continue our mission to bring on positive change for individuals and society as a whole.”
Entries can be submitted online at coramvoice.org.uk/voices between 19 October and 17 December 2023.
For more information on the competition, please visit coramvoice.org.uk/voices
