Children and young people across South Kesteven are being invited to take part in an exciting new short story writing competition.

The competition is being held in association with the Deepings Literary Festival and South Kesteven District Council's Cultural Services team.

It is hoped young authors from across the district will write a short story of up to 500 words creating an imaginative twist on a well-known nursery rhyme or tale.

The competition has two age group categories, 5-8 years and 9-13 years. For inspiration local primary schools are being offered free creative writing workshops. These will be conducted online and are available on a first come, first served basis. Contact Jo Dobbs, Arts Projects Officer for more information by emailing [email protected] Deepings Literary Festival Committee member, Ros Rendle, said: "We want children and young people to really use their imaginations by taking a popular tale and giving it an unusual spin. "Perhaps the wolf in The Three Little Pigs was simply misunderstood? Or maybe the witch in Hansel and Gretel was just lonely? The possibilities are endless. We hope the initiative will encourage children to revisit some of their favourite stories and look to retell them in unusual and entertaining ways." A shortlist of the best entries will go to Festival Patron and international best-selling author Elly Griffiths and well-known local children's author, Hannah Gold, to decide the overall winner. Councillor Rosemary Trollope-Bellew, the Cabinet Member for Culture and Visitor Economy at SKDC, said: "The Deepings Literary Festival team is busy planning a range of events for 2021. Their work encouraging creativity in young people is especially important as the fascinating world of words and reading opens doors to the wider world of arts." The first prize will be a £50 voucher and signed copies of children's books by the judges and book prizes for 2nd and 3rd places too. For more details and to submit entries email: [email protected] by: 31st March 2021.