Highlight the beauty of the coast using the written word

The stunning Northumberland Coast AONB. Picture by Ben Wayman

The contest aims to encourage people from Northumberland and beyond to reflect on and write about the Northumberland coast.

Stories that consider local people and places are encouraged.

The competition is open to three age categories: 7-11 years, 12-16 years, and adults.

Entries can be short stories, poems or verse, as long as they meet the terms of entry.

The winning entries will be published on the Northumberland Coast AONB website and used in other displays and presentations, as part of the diamond celebrations.

Three renowned authors and poets have been lined up to judge the competition. Dan Smith is an award-winning, Newcastle-based author of adventure stories for younger readers and thrillers for adults; Dr Tony Williams is Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Northumbria University, who writes poetry and prose fiction; and Richie McCaffery is an award-winning poet, with a PhD in Scottish Literature from Glasgow University. He is originally from Warkworth.

The Partnership has been awarded a grant of nearly £900 from The Pen and Palette Club to help stage further events.

The finale will be in the autumn, with a concert featuring song, music and drama celebrating the cultural heritage of the Northumberland Coast.

There will be an award ceremony and prize-giving for the written word competition winners and a performance of the winning entries.

Entry to the competition is free. Entries from 7-11 year olds should be 500 words maximum. Those from 12-16 year olds and adults should be 1,000 words maximum.

They must be written in English and be your own work.

The application form can be downloaded from www.north umberlandcoastaonb.org

Entries must be submitted using the form and emailed to info@northumberland coastaonb.com or posted to Northumberland Coast AONB

Partnership, County Hall, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 2EF, before the August 31 deadline.

No more than one entry may be submitted per person and winners will be notified by email no later than September 30.