The Duchess of Cornwall returns as Honorary Judge of 500 Words competition

Entries for BBC Radio 2’s 500 Words short-story competition are now open for 2019, with The Duchess of Cornwall returning as Honorary Judge.

500 Words is an annual creative writing competition which asks children aged 5-13, up and down the UK, to put pen to paper to compose an original work of fiction using no more than 500 words. This year, the winning entries will be read out by famous faces during a BBC Radio 2 show broadcast live from Windsor Castle.

As a passionate promoter of literacy, this is the fifth year The Duchess has supported the competition.

BBC Radio 2 presenter Zoe Ball launched the competition on her Breakfast Show this morning, urging children to “delve deep into their imaginations”. The Radio 2 DJ’s predecessor Chris Evans launched 500 Words in 2011.

During a speech at the 500 Words final in 2018, The Duchess of Cornwall said:

I know that all of you here understand the pleasure and excitement of stories.  They light up our imagination, touch our hearts and get the brains whirring.  Everyone who entered the competition, I think knows what I'm talking about…

I want to encourage everyone here to keep reading, to keep writing, and to keep saying a big fat 'yes' to adventures.