Dame Jacqueline Wilson to judge creative writing competition about inspirational animals

By: Communications

A black horse with a long mane is in a field by a fence, a woman is a green top is holding a young child in her arms and they are both smiling at the horse

Image credit: Redwings

Aspiring writers of all ages have the chance to impress novelist Dame Jacqueline Wilson in a unique competition hosted by the University of East Anglia (UEA), Redwings Horse Sanctuary and The Pony Club.

The competition will have its entries judged by Dame Wilson – who wrote a special foreword for the UEA-Redwings special fundraising edition of Black Beauty.

Although now in its third year, this creative writing competition is being held in collaboration with The Pony Club, a youth charity, for the first time in 2026.

Entrants are invited to write a short story or poem on the theme of 'The Animal That Changed My Life', inspired by either a real or fictional animal.

Dr Hillary Emmett, Associate Professor in American Studies (Literature and Culture) at UEA, said: “We are delighted that the UEA-Redwings creative writing competition is back for its third successive year, now in partnership with The Pony Club, and could not be more thrilled that this year's competition will be judged by Dame Jacqueline Wilson.

“Dame Jacqueline's books have challenged, captivated and delighted children, young people and adults for more than fifty years and it is a huge privilege to work with her to inspire the next generation of young writers. We cannot think of a more fitting writer to honour Anna Sewell's path-breaking legacy.”

Competition entry

The closing date for competition entries is Wednesday 30 September, and will be in the following categories:

Ages six – 11 (Maximum 500 words)
Ages 12 – 18 (Maximum 750 words)
Ages 19-24 (Maximum 750 words)
Age 25+ (Maximum 750 words)

Charlotte McMorran-Stock, Education and Youth Publications Officer at Redwings, said: “Due to popular demand, we have opened our competition up to authors of all ages, so we can all celebrate the inspiration of animals around us.

“Our authors may have had an encounter with an animal who changed their life, or maybe an animal encounter that challenged their perspective on the world around them, and the creatures we share it with.”

To enter, entrants must email their typed-up story to stories@redwings.co.uk, including the author’s name, age and contact details – as well as parent/guardian details if the author is under 16. The competition is open to entries from the UK.

Winner prizes include a year’s sponsorship of Redwings Adoption Star, a copy of the UEA-Redwings Black Beauty edition, merchandise from The Pony Club, and more.

UEA-Redwings partnership and The Pony Club

Redwings Horse Sanctuary, one of the largest horse welfare charities in the UK, is the custodian of Anna Sewell House in Great Yarmouth.

UEA’s partnership with Redwings began with the fundraising edition of Sewell’s famous novel, Black Beauty, and aims to continue Anna Sewell’s legacy of improving animal welfare.

This includes a ‘Black Beauty’ pledge which encourages kindness and empathy to animals, specialist educational resources around Black Beauty, and the creative writing competition – which is now in its third year.

For more information about Redwings’ work and the writing competition, please visit the Redwings Horse Sanctuary website.

The Pony Club is an international voluntary youth charity for young people under the age of 26, interested in horses, ponies, and riding.

The charity aims to provide children and young people with the opportunity to develop a lifelong love of horses through fun, friendship, horsemanship and sport.

Learn more about The Pony Club.

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