Blue Peter’s Amazing Authors Competition Rules
To enter Blue Peter’s Amazing Authors Competition please read the rules below. This competition is open for entries at 5pm on Friday 27th January 2023 and will close at 5pm on Wednesday 8th March 2023.
Blue Peter is giving a young writer the money can't buy prize of getting their story brought to life by children's author, Tom Fletcher.
Children will be asked to write an original short story, or poem (under 400 words) about adventure; thinking too about exciting characters at the heart of it. The winning story will be made into an audio book voiced by Tom Fletcher and be animated to be shown on Blue Peter and CBeebies Bedtime Stories. They will go behind the scenes to experience the book publication and animation process, receive a printed copy of their story, a framed still from the animation and an orange competition winner’s badge.
Rules for Blue Peter's Amazing Authors Competition
1. Blue Peter's Amazing Authors Competition (the "Competition") is open to all UK residents (including residents of the Channel Islands and the Isle Of Man) aged between 5 and 15 years of age on Wednesday 8th March 2023 (the closing date of the competition) except the children or close relatives of BBC Group employees or any persons closely connected with the BBC, The Reading Agency, Aardman, or anyone involved in the competition. The BBC reserves the right to request proof of age for entrants as well as parent’s or guardian’s permission to enter. Only one entry per person may be submitted. No joint entries will be allowed.
2. To enter the Competition entrants must:
Write a short story or poem no more than 400 words which captures the idea of adventure.
Go to the Blue Peter website to fill in your details and upload your entry, or download and print the entry form.
Have parent/guardian’s permission to enter the Competition.
3. Blue Peter’s Amazing Authors Competition is open from 5pm on Friday 27th January 5pm until 5pm Wednesday 8th March 2023.
Entry is via post or online. The uploader can be accessed from the Blue Peter website. You will need a BBC account https://www.bbc.com/signin to enter, which means you have a username and password you can use to sign in to the CBBC website OR you can enter by printing the entry form, filling in the relevant information and writing your story in the space provided, then put in an envelope with the correct postage and posting to: Blue Peter’s Amazing Authors Competition, 1st Floor Bridge House, MediaCityUK, Salford, M50 2BH
4. The ideas must be all the entrant’s own work with no pre-existing characters, brand names or third parties.
5. If more than one entry is received from an entrant, we will accept the first entry received and disregard the others. Only one entry per person may be submitted. No joint entries will be allowed.
6. The entrant and parent/guardian will need to submit all the information requested in the entry form and as set out in the Privacy Notice including a telephone number which must allow us to contact the parent / guardian between Monday 3rd – Friday 7th April 2023. Entrants will need their parent/guardian’s permission to enter the Competition and ensure that they have read the Rules.
7. Entries must be RECEIVED by no later than 5pm on Wednesday 8th March 2023. Late entries will be disqualified. The BBC cannot take any responsibility for any technical failure or malfunction, or postal service issues and/or strikes which may result in an entry being delayed, or not properly registered or recorded.
8. By submitting an entry for the Competition, the entrant’s parent/guardian are deemed to have given permission for the entry to be created and published free of charge by the BBC Group, The Reading Agency and Aardman Animation in all media, including television, print and internet, for all purposes as it wishes. Blue Peter, the BBC and The Reading Agency may wish to display entries containing an entrant’s forename, age and town or county, in all the above instances working in line with the BBC Child Protection Policy, to prevent jigsaw identification of any entrant.
The BBC's conditions on contributions apply to the Competition Rules and can be found https://www.bbc.co.uk/usingthebbc/terms-of-use/#17creationstheterms
Entry is subject to the BBC’s Terms of Use found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/terms.
9. For editorial reasons, it is necessary for the BBC to acquire ownership of all rights in the winning piece of text. It is a condition of entry that the winner’s parent/guardian will sign any additional documentation to assign all rights to the BBC and to waive all moral rights the winner may have in the winning text. If you have any concerns about this requirement, we advise you not to enter.
10. At Blue Peter, we welcome entries from children of all abilities and needs. All entries will be judged in the first instance by qualified readers from The Reading Agency and members of the Blue Peter production team. This first judging panel will decide which entries should be put forward to the second stage of judging. The first judging round will select the 10 best entries for each category and 3 back-up entries, ranked in order of merit, as standbys to replace any entries that in the verification process need to be excluded from the competition.
Stories or poems are judged in each of the following age categories:
Category 1: Entrants aged 5-8
Category 2: Entrants aged 9-11
Category 3: Entrants aged 12-15
11. 30 verified entries in total will go through from the first round of judging to the second round of judging.
12. The second judging stage will look at the best entries for each age category (30 entries in total) and be carried out by a judging panel of representatives from Blue Peter, BBC Arts, CBBC and CBeebies, Aardman and The Reading Agency (Ellen Evans, Editor of Blue Peter as Head Judge). The panel will choose the top entry in each age category (three entries in total). From the top three entries the winner will be chosen, and the runners up will be ranked in order of merit.
Criteria
13. All entries will be judged against the following criteria:
DO
Create a strong main character – it could be a human, animal, or something completely made up.
Make your story creative, descriptive and imaginative.
Think about where your story takes place – it could be an adventure set on the earth, sea or space and it can be about the past, present, or future
On Blue Peter, we’re curious about the world and discovering new things. Think about how your story will inspire the reader too.
Be original – make sure the story is your own, original work.
Make the language and ideas in your entry appropriate for young children and a family audience.
DON’T
Write more than 400 words.
Write about pre-existing characters, brand names, or other third-party ideas – do not copy or use an existing poem, song lyrics or story.
The prizes
14. The prizes consist of:
1st Prize: 1 Winner
The story will become an audio book and animated story
The story will be printed as a book
The Winner will get the opportunity to meet the experts at the animation studios and see their character illustrated and the animation being produced
The Winner will attend a recording of Blue Peter at MediaCityUK in Salford
The Winner will receive an Orange Blue Peter competition winner's badge
Top runners up (x 2)
They will receive a framed certificate
They will receive an Orange Blue Peter competition winner's badge
Top 30:
The top 30 stories that go through to the second round of judging receive an Orange Blue Peter competition winner's badge
15. The BBC will obtain an appropriate child licence for the Winner if needed. Reasonable travel, food, accommodation costs will be provided by the BBC for the winning child and a parent or guardian to appear on Blue Peter for the announcement of the Winner and to attend the Winner’s Day filming. The Winner will be deemed to have agreed to be filmed during their day in studio and on location by the Blue Peter Production team. The parent/guardian of the Winner will be required to sign contributor consent forms on behalf of their child/ward and themselves to allow the BBC to use the contributions in all media for all purposes.
16. Telephone calls will be made to the short-listed entrants and their parent/guardians between Monday 3rd – Friday 7th April 2023 to check eligibility. If an entrant is unable to be contacted after reasonable attempts have been made to do so, the BBC reserves the right to offer their place to the next best entrant. Unsuccessful entrants will not be contacted. Entries cannot be returned to entrants.
17. Blue Peter may need to make reasonable modifications to the winning text, however, the text which is used in the audio book and animated story shall be inspired by the winning text of the Competition.
18. The prizes will be as stated. The prizes cannot be transferred and there is no cash alternative. We reserve the right to change the prize due to unforeseen editorial or production considerations.
19. The Winner and runners-up will be notified from Thursday 13th April 2023 by telephone, as per the contact details provided in their entry. In the event of the Winner being unable to be contacted, after reasonable attempts have been made, or being unable to attend filming, or if the Winner is found to be in breach of the rules or fails to take up their prize for any reason including illness, unavailability, problems in having consent for absence from school, licensing difficulties OR problems with obtaining a sign off from their doctor regarding state of health to participate, the BBC reserves the right to offer the prize to a runner-up who will be ranked in order of merit but it is not obliged to do so.
20. The BBC's and the judges' decision as to the Winner is final. No correspondence relating to the Competition will be entered into.
21. Entrants will be expected to take part in post-Competition publicity for the BBC and the Reading Agency.
22. The BBC reserves the right to cancel the Competition or change any of these Rules at any stage if deemed necessary in its opinion or if circumstances arise outside of its control. Any such changes will be duly communicated. The BBC cannot be held responsible for any unforeseen events relating to, or the cancellation of any related element of this Competition outside of the control of the BBC. The BBC reserves the right to disqualify any entrant who breaches these Rules, has acted fraudulently in any way, or has brought the BBC into disrepute.
23. The parent/guardian of an entrant is deemed to have accepted these Rules when giving permission to the entry of the relevant entrant.
24. The competition complies with the BBC Code of Conduct for Competitions and Voting, which can be found on: https://www.bbc.com/editorialguidelines/guidance/code-of-conduct
25. The BBC, Blue Peter, Aardman, The Reading Agency and any other organisation associated with the Competition accepts no liability for any damage, loss, liabilities (including direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damage) injury or disappointment incurred or suffered by you as a result of entering the Competition, not being able to enter into the Competition or accepting any of the prizes. Nothing shall exclude the liability of the BBC for (i) fraud, (ii) for death or personal injury because of that party's negligence, or (iii) any other cause of action which cannot be limited or excluded under applicable law. In no event shall the BBC and/or any other organisation associated with the Competition’s total liability to you for all damages, losses, or causes of action exceed the price of the relevant prize.
26. If any of these clauses should be determined to be illegal, invalid, or otherwise unenforceable then it shall be severed and deleted from these Rules and the remaining clauses shall survive, remain in full force and effect.
27. The parent/guardian of an entrant is deemed to have accepted these Rules and the Terms and Conditions when giving permission to the entry of the relevant entrant.
28. The BBC reserves the right to terminate and revoke the prize if these Rules and the BBC Safeguarding Policy are not adhered to.
29. If any of these clauses should be determined to be illegal, invalid or otherwise unenforceable then it shall be severed and deleted from these Rules and the remaining clauses shall survive, remain in full force and effect.
30. These Rules shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any claim, dispute or matter arising under or in connection with these Rules.
31. Blue Peter is a production created by BBC Studio Kids and Families Productions Ltd.
