After the huge success of last year's competition, we are pleased to launch the National Short Story Week Young Writer 2012 - 2013 competition.

Download the ebook and listen to the podcast of last year's winners and shortlist.

This year's competition is once again open to pupils in years 7 and 8. The title of the story must be "The Message" and the story must be between 900 - 1000 words in length.

The winning story will be recorded and broadcast online as a podcast and the winning and runner-up stories will appear in an e-book to be published for National Short Story Week 2013. Both the podcast and e-book will be available free of charge.

Schools must register with us in order to submit entries to the National Short Story Week Young Writer 2012 - 2013 competition. Due to the great interest in this competition we can only accept entries from the first 250 schools to register.* School librarians or English teachers can register their school by emailing schools@shortstoryweek.org.uk NB This is an automated email address and you will receive auto-respond confirmation that you have registered (if not, please check your spam folder). We can't answer emails to this address - for any queries please contact us.

Entry is free - there is no charge to take part in the competition. Once registered, you will receive an application pack with all the details you need to take part in the competition, and a poster which can be downloaded and displayed in the school.

* Please only register if you are seriously intending to send entries from your school - as registering and then not particpating could prevent another school from taking part. Thank you!

Our shortlist judges

Tony Bradman has been involved as a writer, editor and reviewer of children’s books for over 30 years. In recent years he has also taught creative writing and been a judge for the Booktrust Teen Book Award and The Guardian Fiction Prize. Tony has also edited more than 30 anthologies of short stories and poetry. www.tonybradman.com

Our second short-list judge will be announced "shortly"!

National Short Story Week Young Writer 2011/2012

We had many hundreds of entries from schools around the UK and British schools overseas to last year's competition. The overall quality of the stories was very high indeed and it has been a pleasure to read them. Many thanks to all of the schools and students who took part, and to our readers and our shortlist judges Chris Priestley and Aidan Chambers.

Congratulations to our winners and runners up. The overall winning story will be recorded as a podcast and released in November 2012. The winning and runner up stories will be published in a free ebook which will also be released in November 2012. Our four category winners also received a £15 gift voucher courtesy of What The Dickens Writing & Literary Gifts (www.writersgifts.co.uk)

National Short Story Week Young Writer 2011/2012: Tom King, Dulwich Prep, London

Winner, Year 8 Girls: Clare Pearson, Dolphin School, Berkshire

Winner, Year 8 Boys: Tom King, Dulwich Prep, London

Winner, Year 7 Girls: Eleanor Dale, Torquay Grammar School, Devon

Winner, Year 7 Boys: Felix Ross, New College School, Oxford

Highly commended, runners up:

Adam Nawaz, Kings Monkton School, Cardiff
Andrew Barnetson, Lockyer's Middle School, Dorset
Annabelle Fuller, Gateways School, Leeds
Christopher Ryan, Rydon Community College, West Sussex
Clara Fiddler Brown, St Joseph's College, Reading
Dakota Bennett, College les Hauts Grillets (British Section), France
Eilis Loftus, Bedford Modern, Bedford
Ella Barnes, The Greycoat Hospital, London
Erin West, Dormston School, West Midlands
George Piper, Colyton Grammar School, Devon
Iris Yates, St Edwards College, Liverpool
Isobel McCarthy, Collège Pierre et Marie Curie (British Section), France
Kai Bass, Rydon Community College, West Sussex
Kip White-Sani, Notting Hill Prep, London
Lilli Hill, Ursuline High School, London
Luke Gent, Lockyer's Middle School, Dorset
Mathias Baudena, Lycée International (British Section), France
Matthew Gibson, Bedford Modern, Bedford
Poppy Smith, Torquay Girls Grammar School, Devon
Rebecca Cross Padden, Ursuline High School, London
Robert Walker, Colyton Grammar School, Devon
Tara Lewis, New Hall School, Essex
Tegan Cymler, Dormston School, West Midlands
William Allen, Dulwich Prep, London
Zak Owen, King Henry VIII Comprehensive, Abergavenny