Open to primary pupils from P5-P7 and secondary pupils from S1 to S3, the contest aims to connect classrooms with Scotland’s land, food systems and rural communities.
Head of the Royal Highland Show, David Tennant, is on the judging panel(Image: Ian Georgeson)
Young writers across Lanarkshire are being challenged to put pen to paper and bring the future of farming to life, as the Royal Highland Show launches a nationwide short story competition as part of Scotland’s National Year of Reading.
Open to primary pupils from P5-P7 and secondary pupils from S1 to S3, the contest aims to connect classrooms with Scotland’s land, food systems and rural communities by encouraging pupils to explore one of four themes through their creative writing submissions: the future of farming, sustainable food production, innovation in agriculture or caring for animals, crops or the environment.
The Royal Highland Show – Scotland’s largest fundraising event run by leading agricultural charity RHASS (Royal Highland Agricultural Society of Scotland) – has long championed education, innovation and the future of farming.
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The competition aims to build on this legacy by inviting a new generation to imagine the future of agriculture, from futuristic farming methods and rural adventure stories, to exploring the connection between people, animals and the environment.
The judging panel for the competition brings together expertise from across the agriculture and the literary worlds and is formed of children’s author Catherine Stables, head of the Royal Highland Show, David Tennant, and author, bookseller and publisher at Foggie Toddle Books, Jayne Baldwin.
David Tennant said: “The Royal Highland Show is all about celebrating and sustaining the future of Scottish agriculture.
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“This competition offers a unique way to help connect young people with rural Scotland, encouraging them to think creatively about how we might grow and source our food, or how innovation might support farmers in the decades ahead.
“We’re excited to see how pupils across Scotland interpret these themes and bring them to life through their storytelling.”
Open to pupils across the country, entries must be original work, with one submission per pupil, and an accompanying illustration is welcomed but optional.
Primary (P5-P7) pupils are asked that their stories have a maximum of 250 words, and secondary (S1-S3) pupils have a maximum of 500 words. Entries can be hand written or typed.
All entries must relate to at least one of the following themes: The future of farming, Sustainable food production, Innovation in agriculture or Caring for animals, crops or the environment.
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Winners will be announced ahead of the show, taking place in June, with two winners and two runners-up recognised across the primary and secondary categories.
Prize packages will include family tickets to attend the Sunday of the Royal Highland Show, book vouchers (£100 for winners and £50 for runners-up) and the winning stories being published in national farming title, The Scottish Farmer.
The winners will also receive family passes to the Wigtown Book Festival which takes place in Dumfries & Galloway in the autumn.
The competition closes on Friday, May 15; all entries should be emailed by teachers to rhsshortstorycomp@mucklemediagroup.co.uk and include the name of the pupil and their year group.
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