If you’ve ever dreamed of showcasing your poetry, flash fiction, or short stories to a publisher, here’s your chance! The prestigious Paul Cave Prize for Children’s Literature 2025 is now accepting entries. This annual competition is a golden opportunity to bring your creative writing to a wider audience, with winners receiving invaluable feedback, a cash prize, and a copy of the book featuring all submissions.
Meet the Judges
This year’s judging panel is uniquely qualified to select the most engaging and imaginative entries. The Saunders family, passionate about literature, includes:
- Tim Saunders – Publisher and journalist
- Caroline Saunders – Former secondary school teacher and head of department
- Harriett Saunders – Secondary school pupil
- Heidi Saunders – Secondary school pupil
- Henry Saunders – Primary school pupil
The Saunders family shares a deep love for storytelling, often debating tales over the dinner table. This hands-on approach ensures that every submission is read in its entirety, with no AI involvement – a rarity in modern competitions!
What Are We Looking For?
The competition welcomes a wide range of formats, including:
- Poetry: haiku, free verse, sonnet, acrostic, villanelle, ballad, limerick, ode, elegy
- Flash fiction
- Short stories (up to 5,000 words)
Publisher Tim Saunders emphasises the importance of creating an enjoyable reading experience with strong vocabulary and grammar. “If a piece offers some educational value alongside its entertainment, even better,” he says.
Key Dates
- Submission Deadline: 28 February 2025
- Winners Announced: 30 March 2025
A Glimpse at Last Year’s Winners
The 2024 competition showcased exceptional talent, with young writers excelling across categories. Here are some highlights:
Best Short Story (Aged 12 and Under):
Pete Pitman – Rumpleskin’s Stilt
Extract:
“Why don’t you get off your backside and do something. Anything. I despair. I really do.” Lily-Sue watched as her mother fussed and twitched around the house. She watched as she returned, a tea-towel draped over her shoulder, and wagged her finger at her husband, who was slumped in an armchair.
Best Short Story (Aged 8 and Under):
Alwyn Davies and Maud Bazillier – Gogo the Fireman
Extract:
One day Gogo was walking through the little town where he lived when he saw a big red fire engine and all the firemen dressed in their shiny yellow clothes and shiny helmets. Gogo thought that he would like to be a fireman and drive the red fire engine. That would be fun, he thought.
Best Poem:
Hazel Bowden – The Key
Extract:
I found a heavy rusty key.
I don’t know what it’s for.
Some long-forgotten cupboard,
or a secret hidden door.
Best Flash Fiction:
Daan Spijer – Celeste Bear
Extract:
“Hey! Over here! Look up!” They don’t see me up here on the shelf. I was put up here because I’m special and the shop owner doesn’t want children to treat me roughly and get me dirty.
How to Enter
Ready to submit your masterpiece? Visit the official website at tsaunderspubs.weebly.com for full details and submission guidelines.
Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to share your talent and become part of a published collection!
Tim Saunders Publications
tsaunderspubs.weebly.com
49 Church Close, Locks Heath, Southampton SO31 6LR, England
Unsolicited manuscripts are also welcome.