Young Writers Competition 2026
Every year, Wimbledon BookFest invites young writers from across South London and Surrey to find their voice and share it with the world. This year, we were thrilled to have a record breaking 71 schools take part, and we loved reading every entry.
This year’s theme was The Light.
Our Senior Prizegiving took place on Thursday 24 September with award-winning illustrator and novelist Aimée de Jongh, our Wimbledon BookFest Schools Laureate Nathanael Lessore, and University of Roehampton lecturer, Dr. Amy Waite.
The Junior Prizegiving took place on Friday 25 September with award-winning author Onjali Q. Raúf, founder of Five ASide theatre, Mic Lord, and children’s author Eve Wersocki Morris.
Wimbledon BookFest would like to thank all of our judges for the 2026 Young Writers Competition, Dr. Amy Waite, Nathanael Lessore, Margaret Reeve, Georgie Morley, Ana Gumende, Leo Hessian, Eve Wersocki Morris, Patrick Gallagher, Simon Finn, and Lui Sit.
Find your work or some inspiration for next year in this year’s anthologies linked below!
2026 WINNERS 2026 ANTHOLOGIES
2026 Prizegiving Ceremonies
This competition is in partnership with the University of Roehampton.
