What are the 500 Words prizes?

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What can you win?

The word 'prizes' is written on a gold trophy on a purple background.

We all know competition means one thing… prizes, and there are some unbelievable prizes up for grabs. Supported by Her Majesty Queen Camilla, the grand final will take place at Windsor Castle in February 2026 and 50 finalists will be invited, along with a parent or carer.

Each winner in both age categories will take home a bundle of books:

Gold winning stories win the height of Sir Lenny Henry in books
Silver win the height of Her Majesty The Queen in books
Bronze winners win the average height of a child relevant to their age category in books
The gold winners in both categories will win 500 books for their school library.

The six winning stories will also receive an illustration from one of the best children's illustrators in the UK. You can browse through last year's illustrations here.

Not only will they have their story bought to life, the six illustrated stories will be framed to take home, along with a special 500 Words winners' book.

Who are the illustrators for this year?

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Korky Paul
Multi-award-winning illustrator Korky Paul grew up scribbling in Zimbabwe then studied fine art in South Africa and film animation in California. He is the famous illustrator of the Winnie and Wilbur children’s book series by Valerie Thomas published by Oxford University Press, which has sold over 10 million copies globally. Korky has worked with several leading publishers, and his books have been translated into 44 languages. He is a patron of Pegasus Theatre, ARCh, Reading Quest, Northern Children’s Book festival, and The Stratford Literary Festival. He is also a judge for National and International art and illustration competitions.
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Harriet Muncaster
Harriet Muncaster is the internationally best-selling children’s author of the Isadora Moon series for Oxford University Press, along with the Mirabelle and Emerald spin-off series, which have sold over seven million copies worldwide in 42 languages. Harriet is also the author of the Victoria Stitch series for children aged 9+. Harriet’s brand-new series, The Diary of Wiska Wildflower (publishing October 2025) creates something for readers of all ages as they grow up with the World of Harriet Muncaster. Her books blend fantasy with relatable themes such as friendship, school life, and family, making them beloved by children all over the world.
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Paula Bowles
Paula Bowles is a children's book illustrator known for her vibrant, expressive artwork and has worked with major publishers such as Oxford University Press, Nosy Crow, and Simon & Schuster. Paula is the illustrator of the multi-award nominated Marv series for Oxford University Press, written by Alex Falase-Koya, as well as illustrating the picture book There's a Poonami in my house written by Sunday Times No.1 bestselling authors, Chris and Rosie Ramsey. Paula has been shortlisted for several awards, including The British Book Awards, Indie Book Awards, The Alligators Mouth Award, and The Week Junior 'Children's illustrated book of the year'.
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Rochelle Falconer
Rochelle Falconer was born in Jamaica but grew up in Birmingham, the oldest of six. Rochelle studied graphic design and has worked for various design agencies as well as the gaming industry. It wasn’t until she took a break to raise a family, that she rediscovered picture books. Combining her early passion for writing and her love of drawing, Rochelle now spends her time creating characters she would love to see represented in picture books and dreaming up their stories. How To Tame a Mummy Monster is Rochelle’s debut authored book, published by Oxford University Press.
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Leigh Hodgkinson
Leigh Hodgkinson is a celebrated author, illustrator, and creative powerhouse whose work spans picture books, animation, and children’s television. Before stepping into the world of children’s publishing, Leigh brought stories to life as Art Director on CBeebies Charlie and Lola. With over 30 books to her name, Leigh has collaborated with leading publishers. Her bestselling Martha Maps It Out series, published by Oxford University Press, has captured hearts around the globe—selling over 100,000 copies and earning critical acclaim. Her third Martha adventure, Martha Maps It Out with Family, publishes August 2026.
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Ken Wilson-Max
Ken Wilson-Max is an award-winning children’s books author, illustrator, and publisher. Born in Zimbabwe, he is based in London and has over 85 books published worldwide in a 30-year career. His book, 'Astro Girl' won the STEAM award for early years picture books in 2020. Of his other books, 'Where's Lenny?' was listed in 50 Best Culturally Diverse Children's Books by The Guardian, and 'Stars With Flaming Tales' won the CLiPPA Award for Poetry in 2022. Apart from owning Alanna Max, an independent publishing house, Ken is also publisher-at-large at Kumusha Books, an imprint of Harper Collins UK.

Incentives

It's incredibly important to us that children of all abilities and backgrounds have fun writing their stories and take part in 500 Words, so will be offering to any schools with 50% free school meals (or higher) that submit entries a £75 National Book Token. This can be used to purchase books to reward individual children who enter 500 Words and/or for the school library.

All schools need to do is submit their stories and once the competition closes in November we will be in touch if schools are eligible. We will be using the data of the Education Company - if schools have not heard from us by the beginning of December 2025 and believe they qualify, please email <[email protected].>

As an added incentive for schools to enter, every story (excluding bronze, silver and gold winners) is entered into a random draw, which will take place at the start of February. The entrant will not only receive a ticket to the final (with a parent or guardian) and a bundle of books for themselves, but their school will also receive 500 books and a Literacy Wall Art, to promote the love of story-telling.

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It only takes one submission per school to be in the draw to win a Literacy Wall Art and 500 books for your school.

What can you win?

Who are the illustrators for this year?

Incentives

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