Covid fun writing challenge for children

CHILDREN aged five-12 get the chance to win laptops and tablets in an online story-writing challenge that replaces the annual NGC Children’s Bocas Lit Fest Storytelling Caravan.

Dragonzilla’s Short Story Writing Challenge, in partnership with Nalis, is for youngsters across TT and allows them to create original stories based on the theme My Covid experience in TT.

The deadline for the submission of stories 300-400 words long is October 19, said a media release. The authors of the top 20 stories will then have to submit videos of themselves reading their stories. The best videos will then be chosen and those authors will receive tablets and laptops, courtesy the NGC Children’s Bocas Lit Fest and Nalis.

Championing the challenge is four-year old Coryn Clarke, author of Chronicles of Coryn: 7 Days of Fun.

Director of the children’s literary festival Danielle Delon says, “Coryn embodies the ideals and spirit of this challenge, which aims to reinforce the importance of reading and writing among children, while exploring the country's culture, history, environment and encouraging community responsibility and national pride, all against the backdrop of addressing the coronavirus pandemic.”

Each year, the children’s festival runs alongside the adult’s at the National Library. Back in March, when the festival dates had to be changed because of the covid19 pandemic, some fast rethinking was necessary, the release said.

First came Dragonzilla’s Storytime, a series of video films, broadcast on TV6 Morning Edition and featuring leading local storytellers reading stories from the nine published collections of stories created by children participating in the annual Storytelling Caravan. These can now be seen at youtube.com/bocaslitfest, free of charge.

The challenge is the newest phase of a year-long programme of children’s online events planned for 2020.

Festival founder Marina Salandy-Brown said in the release:

“We are determined to continue engaging children’s imaginations in the absence of usual interactive community activities."

Delon said: "The challenge will help enable children to discover the joy of writing, and gain confidence in their literary skills, especially while they remain apart from their schoolmates and friends.”

To learn more about the challenge and to register a child: bocastlitfest.com/2020/children/challenge.